


Finding Kagome

by Beckugo



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:27:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckugo/pseuds/Beckugo
Summary: “But that’s ridiculous! How could all of us not find the Shikon jewel in a few hundred years, Kaede?”“Without knowing where they’ve gone and with no guide to collect enough shards, perhaps you’d be at a standstill. The only way to prove it, of course, is to go down it and find out.”--AU: Inuyasha has been searching for a mystery girl in Tokyo for 20 years after Kaede suffers a vision months after Kikyo is slain. Involving a reincarnation of her sister and his dead lover, the Shikon no Tama was shattered when Naraku killed her. Kaede posits that without a new guide to aid in a search for them, neither he nor Sesshomaru can likely succeed in obtaining enough jewel shards on their own.Though Kaede initially keeps a watch on Higurashi shrine, the pair end up living far from the well and losing sight of the family when the old priest catches sight of Inuyasha's demon ears. Searching endlessly, they finally find the whereabouts of Kagome when Kaede sees a wedding photo in a local newspaper - her mother has remarried a top surgeon who works at the University of Tokyo, where she is about to start her schooling. Inuyasha enrolls in her classes to try and find out more about her to gain her trust.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Hojo, Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, InuYasha & Kaede (InuYasha)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

{20 Years Ago}  
Feudal Japan

“ _You’re sure it was vision?_ Not just a nightmare... _”_ _  
_ It hurts him to be so close to someone who resembles the woman he loved most, holding her hand as she sweats profusely, breast rising and falling sharply with breath.

“I’m certain, Inuyasha...visions always leave me in this state.”

“How can you have a vision of someone who is...who is…”

“ _Dead?”_ _  
_ The way she says it almost casually heats his veins.

“ _Yeah._ You saw... _Kikyo_ ,” he chokes out, “And then you saw another girl through a mirror Kikyo was looking into? In the future? And she was holding Shikon no Tama?”

“Yes. There were many _strange_ structures and moving metal. A place called... _Tokyo._ Kikyo was pleading with this woman to tell her where she was, and all the other girl could say was a chant: “Tokyo.” It has to be the future. Except for hair and clothing, she was virtually identical.”

“How can you know for sure it’s not just something the mind conjured up, though? That would leave you feeling the same, wouldn’t it, Kaede? We're all still shaken by this.”

She sighs.  
“No, this has to be something more. I’ve had many of these dreams the last few months since Naraku spread his evil unto us, they always come true. Just a few weeks ago I had one about a man from another village showing up covered in blood after a demon attack, and now he’s recovering with Miroku, the healer.”

“ _But what does it mean!”_ Nails biting into his palm, a low growl spurning from his throat, Kaede sits up and pat his fingers that get tighter around her by the second.

“Calm now, Inuyasha. I don’t know what it means, how can I until it’s fulfilled? But what I gather is...if Kikyo can sense the shards, perhaps there is another who exists, or will exist, who can do the same.”

 _Another person who can sense the shards?_ His nostrils flare.

“ _Or_ will _exist?_ If she was a grown woman, how could she not already?”

“My visions have no time limit. When I was only five I had a vision of Naraku destroying a neighboring village, and I did not see that come to fruition until a year ago. And that well nearby....it’s said it can lead one _beyond,_ though i’ve never given it a test myself. Is it possible that nobody, not you nor Sesshomaru, finds all the shards? Could they be scattered in this new city years later? Maybe you are meant to meet this girl then.”

“But that’s ridiculous! How could all of us not find the Shikon jewel in a few hundred years, Kaede?”

“Without knowing where they’ve gone and with no guide to collect _enough_ shards _,_ perhaps you’d be at a standstill. The only way to prove it, of course, is to go down it and find out.”

 _“Go down and find out…”  
_ _Go down and find out!? What the hell are you thinking? You wouldn’t even know where to go or what to look for! And you’d have to live as a human!_

“Inuyasha...” Kaede can see his mind reeling at the possibilities, his eyes burning fiery orange from their usual gold.

He emits a loud yell, throwing up his hands. “If you really think this is a possibility, I need to take the risk. At the _very_ least, see if I can surpass the well. If there’s a fighting chance of finding Kikyo...or whatever her name is...well? All I really have is stupid time, right?”

“Now don’t be rash, you should try to plan - ”

“ _Plan what_?” he interrupts. “How to live in a place I don’t know?! How do you plan that? I don’t wanna sit around here moping in misery anymore if I can start looking for this girl!”

Standing up, before Inuyasha can grab his small pile of belongings, Kaede speaks his name so harshly that his spine tingles - his body rigid.

“ _You should not be going alone, Inuyasha_.”

“Didn’t you tell me a while ago that very few people can actually time travel?” he spits, refusing to turn round and face her. 

“Yes...but I’m fairly certain if I am right, that _I_ can.”

“What _, you?_ No offence, Kaede, but you don’t have the same depth of power that I do.” Haughty, he continues packing, shoving some leftover stew into his sack.

“Perhaps not. But the connection you had with Kikyo is also tethered to me, her blood.”

“Yeah, I guess! I work well on my own, I don’t need someone breathing down my neck.”

“Inuyasha, you did not just lose your fiancee that day. I lost my only family. If there’s a possibility that she’s been reborn, I can help you find her. And I _want_ to.”

Finally, he stops, looking back at her, noticing now her sad expression.  
"Kaede, you have a whole life here, friends. People will need you to protect them now Kikyo is...gone. I have nothing, nobody wants me anywhere on this damn earth. You shouldn’t throw what you have away.”

“My life _was_ here. It was dedicated to purifying the world with my sister, but now _my_ world is tempered with ghosts and demons that go far beyond the physical realm. Not a life I want to keep on building. I would hate to know that my Kikiyo was sacrificed for a cause that sees Naraku the victor. Miroku is a monk, he can take over for me while we search."

“ _Kaede._ ”

“Besides,” she chuckles, “Imagine _you_ getting a job? With your people skills? You’re going to need my help just to stay alive, you won’t be able to wave your Tessaiga around like you normally do to solve problems. Humans are much more civil than _dogs._ ”

“ _Hey,_ nobody’s _ever_ complained about me waving my sword around before!”  
And though the tone is harsh, she can’t help but see the smallest of grins forming across his face.

“No, but finding a place to live and getting used to a completely new society is likely best done with a friend, isn’t it? We'll be lost for a long time and have to relearn how to behave.”

 _A friend,_ he contemplates. Had he _ever_ really had one before _?_

“Maybe you’re onto something. But i’m not wasting time. Tomorrow morning, we tell nobody of the plan, we leave a note saying we’ve gone to find the shards. That’s it. I don’t need Sesshomaru poking around...and the villagers don’t need Naraku on their asses again. Understand?”

She nods firmly. “Understood. Now lie down and get some sleep.”

{Tokyo}

Though the initial jump into the abyss had frightened her, Kaede feels the conviction pumping through Inuyasha as he nearly throws himself down the well. A part of her wondered if they’d simply hit the bottom and land in water, but the morning light of a foreign place hits their faces as quickly as they’d faded from the past. 

Perched on the edge, Inuyasha steps down, helping Kaede steady her footing as they observe the surroundings. Pushing open the door that confines the well, Inuyasha gasps.  
“This is a shrine too…”

The red arch is unmistakable.

“It is. Could it be...?”  
Taking off into the open, she can't believe she already has to scold him.

“ _Inuyasha, be careful!”_

She hisses at him but decides to follow quietly as they stalk towards a quaint house that’s separate from the other buildings.  
Through a large window, she can see a young couple sitting at a table with what seems to be their relatives - perhaps parents? An older woman holds a small child as they all laugh while the baby smiles.

Too preoccupied with entertaining, luckily nobody notices Inuyasha's titter of frustration as he removes himself from the property as fast as he got there; “No, nobody in there looks remotely like Kikyo.”

Eyeing the baby, Kaede narrows her eyes: Could _it be, though?_ She can’t even tell the baby’s sex, and wouldn’t it be a little _too_ easy if it was her?

“I think we should come back here again in a few days. Ask them about their family history.”

“What, why? You know what - I don’t care. We can if you wanna, but we need to figure out how far ahead we are. And right now I gotta know what the hell all this STUFF is!"  
He’s gesturing to the strange _things_ that exist just a ways from the trail up to the shrine. The skyscrapers and _noise._

“Yes. First, we need to hide those pesky ears of yours.”  
Trifling through her satchel, she pulls out a black bandana and ties it around him as he makes a soft huff. “Now - let’s go find some new clothes and have an adventure, Inuyasha.” 

“Hell yeah! That's more like it! Let’s go!”  
Perking up at her words, he’s almost left her in dust as he rounds the corner into the mystery that is _Tokyo,_ noticing the sign that says ‘Higurashi Shrine’ as the namesake is almost out of sight. 


	2. 20 Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into what the gang is up to now.

{Yoyogi Park - Present Day}

“ _Wow,_ Kagome, your mother looks so beautiful! And so do you! This is the nicest wedding I think I’ve ever been invited to.”

Kagome smiles. Ayumi is _always_ so sweet.  
It’s the first dance, and the pair - Watanabe Koji and Higurashi Akina - shine radiant under the moonlight, as well as the many strings of lights that the decorators had painstakingly set up for tonight.  
“Thanks, Ayumi. You look so nice too - _everyone does!_ I’m so happy for them.”

After a long applause towards the newlyweds, the song slowly changes tempo from soft classical to a lively big band beat. Her friend pulls her by the wrist and leads her onto the floor - “let’s dance!”

They laugh as other couples congregate and join them, Sota blushing as his new girlfriend Tomiko grabs onto his waist, pecking him on the mouth.

“Oh my god, look at Sota! What an absolute player - I can’t believe he’s almost done high school already. Growing like an absolute weed! Here! I got you some riesling.”  
Eri and Yuka, Kagome’s other guests, have joined them now - white wine in their clutches and now theirs.

Sipping it gently for now because she knows there’s still photos to be taken, Kagome clinks everyone's glasses. 

“Thank you all so much for coming! I know how much this means to my mom and Koji.”

As they all chant _Cheers!,_ she observes the man - a bit older, greying beard and glasses - with fondness.

Koji is a top professor at the Tokyo University School of Medicine. He has built a career on being a competent surgeon and had been asked a decade ago to become a tenured teacher, the doctor to perform a major heart procedure on a very famous JPOP star. A minor celebrity now in the aftermath.

“Of course! Their romance story is just so, so…..” Eri trails off, snapping her fingers.

“ _Romantic?”_ Yuka suggests.

“Yes, exactly!”  
The girls all titter.

“It really is,” Kagome sighs.

“There’s been so much change for you, hasn't there? I haven’t seen you since you moved... But you seem happy!”

“I am. I mean...I’m so lucky I don’t have to work and I can just focus on my studies. Mom inspired me to try and pursue a dream, even if I don’t know exactly what it is yet. I don’t want to keep stalling my destiny. She followed her path...she got a new job. And look, she found someone just as good as dad by accident, maybe fortune will come together for me if I just try.”

They’d made a big switch - existing for a while in a downtown apartment where she’d shared the second room with Sota to Koji’s home in Motoazabu - now they’d been fully intertwined. She was overwhelmed.

Her mother really _is_ such an inspiration; after living for years at grandfather’s shrine when papa died, Akina decided to go back and finish her nursing school 7 years ago. She’d had to halt her studies once she’d gotten pregnant with Kagome. It was tough for a while financially, but with Kagome working full time at a clothing store, and Sota part time at a boba shop, they managed to pull through as a family and made enough to help grandpa retire so they could move more central. Mom had done so well at her exams she was recommended to get a job and internship at the school, which is where she’d met Koji. 

“That’s a great attitude!”

“We’re so proud of you, Kagome!”

Her heart positively swelling as the girls all share a big, drunken, hug, Kagome still finds the moment bittersweet.

I guess it’s because she’s almost 22 now and _just_ about to start secondary schooling, all her friends are in their third or last years. There was a great struggle deciding on a field of study and no funds to justify giving anything a shot at graduation.

But she really is fortunate because she had been content thinking she would probably go through life working to live and yet it wasn’t long before her mother and Koji had fallen for one another, as they were both kind and generous in nature. With mom graduating and now working in a new facility, everything was coming up roses for the couple _and_ the family. 

He’d already come from money, but Koji was earning more and more every year as he participated in many research projects with national success. He’d even been on a few talk show segments on panels. Now Kagome didn’t have to have a job and with her new step-dad offering to pay for her schooling she’d managed to pass the entrance exam to do general studies - ' _test the waters before committing, just dip your toes'_ , he said. She should be happy, right!? _Right?_

Well speaking of research projects, as much as anyone can be understanding, her boyfriend Hojo has been on a trip to Kyoto for _his_ research for over a month now, missing their second anniversary and _now_ her parents wedding. And now? Likely her first day of university! But she can’t hold him back - he’d been awarded a fellowship for his study in Japanese history on the city itself and she was immensely proud. Still, video chats and occasional texts weren’t enough when she was about to begin a new chapter as important as this.

 _You’re being a baby, Kagome! You’ve been doing so great! Today isn’t about you!  
_She takes a deep breath. _  
_ “I love you guys! Bless you!”

A quick 45 minutes passes as everyone dances, eats, and drinks merrily. After a weepy speech given by Sota (Kagome could not keep it together enough to present it with him) she dabs the bleeding mascara and touches up her hair at the main table while she observes her friends flirting with some of the cousins and nephews of her new dad. 

“Darling, Koji allowed one of the students for the _Tokyo University Times_ to take a few photos, and they asked for a family one, I hope that’s ok? I really don’t want them plastering anything of you or Sota, however you know how much a clean public image can do for someone such as Koji, right?”

Pleading, Kagome simply laughs and jumps up, hugging her mother.  
“Of course, mom, anything for you today!”

Smiling in relief, she follows Akina over to the park pond that’s backlit by lanterns. Sota nervously follows suit with Tomiko as Koji wraps his arms around his wife and Kagome.  
_“I’m sorry that Hojo could not be here tonight, Kagome. I’m sure it was of great disappointment to you. It’s a shame he won’t be in any of our photos.”_

Koji has whispered this into her ear under the guise of a gentle kiss on the head.  
“ _It’s ok, he’s doing his best for his career and you make sacrifices for that. I’m just happy to be here with my family."_

“Wonderful! Please smile, on 1,2,3!”  
Her shoulder is squeezed almost _too_ heavily as the photographer takes the shot. But she is grateful. 

The camera flashes as the photographer takes many. It feels like the beginning of something wonderful.

After the group shot, Kagome wanders over to the water’s edge, taking in the fresh air, relishing a bit to be alone. Moments pass of her observing the night when something just at the shore emits a sparkle.

 _Another one?_ She wonders as she steps carefully onto the soft ground so not to ruin her heels and bends down to examine the glinting object. In her hands, washing the debri off with a gentle swish, it’s one of those small and pretty quartz.

“Another one! That’s almost twenty now to add to my collection, I better go show Sota!”

{Tsukiji Fish Market - Next Morning}

“You never cease to amaze me, son. How do you do it?”  
Sitting on the counter, barely past dawn, are kgs upon kgs of crabs and random fish straight from the positively gigantic bag that this strange kid seems to have filled to the brim every week or so.

Choki has been working at Tsukiji fish market for his fisherman father for about eighteen years. Since he was a young lad. Ever since this platinum haired hooligan showed up about 15 months ago, sales have been skyrocketing for them. He’s grateful, but there's no way this kid can possibly know what he’s doing selling to someone in the middle of the road, like them. He almost feels like he’s robbing him even though tens of thousands of yen go straight to his pockets every time. The quality of the product he sells are enough for 5 star restaurants.

Slurping from a straw of an energy drink, as he always seems to be, the kid points a finger at him and shakes his head.

"What did I tell ya, Choki? No questions, you take em or leave em. Now I know by now this much should be worth almost 50,000 so are you giving me that, or not? It’s almost September and I got my share of rent.”

In truth, Inuyasha sells to Choki because he seemed like the least chatty and annoying of the salesmen at this place. Which is what he needs, because _all_ of the food he has is stolen; pilfered from the many cages, traps, and trawlers along the coast.

Kaede can _never_ find out about this because their one rule was don't get arrested. Even if he could break out of jail, they’d definitely have to leave the city, if not back through the well, and he didn’t want to put himself nor her through that again.   
The meddling priestess had gotten way too cozy with the old man who lived at that Higurashi shrine. She used her innocence to invite him over to their crappy studio apartment maybe 3 months after they’d gotten there for tea and ‘spiritual guidance’. She was convinced there must be a connection between that place and where they came from, but Inuaysha had lied about finding a job. He came home and tore off his bandana earlier than he’d said without paying attention, only to have the geezer be watching and scream that he was a demon because of his ears. 

I mean, he was right, but he’d had to knock the man out, take him home, and they'd had to skedaddle from the only place that would have them pretty goddamn quick. He’d wagered that Kaede went back a few times but since she said nothing, there must be no new developments on that front.

Still, though. 

Inuyasha put work in too. He had to learn how to read and how to write from Kaede’s teachings. Together they researched the history of this weird place, yet it still took a long time for Kaede to trust him to even go off on his own for more than a few hours after that incident. Luckily once they'd gotten phones it was a lot easier. She had apparently lost her eye but not her wit. It was annoying. 

But now, _finally,_ he’d managed to figure out a way for quick rent and endless cash after working under the table at sketchy restaurants for _years._ There’s a limit to how much berating one can take knowing at any moment you could claw someone’s face to oblivion. If he did, his new life would be over. And to be honest, there was a lot to like in this city.

He would go off and steal from these ocean prisons at night with his sense of smell - a silent water ninja - and be rolling in cash by morning, with the whole day to goof off and look for any signs of Kikyo - or _whatever_ her name was. Despite scouring the land for _any_ signs of the shards, looking up crystal shops that might be selling them as magic stones and digging into the rural grounds when he could escape the city safely with Kaede...he'd turned up nothing.

“Maybe one day we’ll be on friendly terms?” Choki chuckles as he snaps Inuyasha out of his daydream, to which the demon stops sipping his third beverage of the morning. “50,000 yen, huh? For you, of course I can do that.”

Grabbing the stack from Choki as he unlocks the safe, Inuyasha examines it and then eyes his ‘business partner’, replying. “We are friends, dummy. I’ve been selling you stuff for a while now, right? You see me going around to anyone else?”

“Well, no…” Choki contemplates this kid; he has on backwards baseball hat, carrying a beat up longboard in loose red sweatpants and with an oversized black shirt that has an indecipherable logo on it. Definitely not a teenager, but barely a man. “You talk to your friends like this?”

The scanning of his appearances doesn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha, who cocks his head.  
“Well, yeah!” 

“Kid, I don’t even know your name.”  
He notices the vendor almost taken aback at his statement, so earnest, and for the unshakeable millionth time, Inuyasha needs to grapple off the feeling that he’ll even know how to actually interact with humans. And it’s been two decades, dammit!

“I’m….My name is uh, Inuyasha.”

“Doesn’t that mean…. _half...dog..._?”

 _Dammit._ _  
_ “I mean...can you see why I wouldn’t want to tell anyone that? It’s embarrassing.”  
He makes an effort to smirk a little.

“Heh, well only a little bit. You make sure to pay that rent on time, Inuyasha.”

“Will do!”

With a tiny salute given, Inuyasha steps onto his board and skates his way out of the warehouse, despite the numerous 'YOU CAN’T DO THAT IN HERE's he receives.

With his share of rent in the bag, easy - he wasn’t foolish and was able to save all month - he rolls his way down to this old vintage arcade, where he usually spends two to three (ok, maybe four or five) hours playing from open, and then skims his phone for local news as he chows down on his favourite street food in Nakamise.

If he’s honest...despite the fact he must live mostly in the shadows because his true appearance is so assuming, it’s... _nice,_ not having to be in constant peril. Kaede was certain only they could get through the well. And it must be true if this long had passed without disruption. 

Of course, he did want to find this reincarnation of Kikyo to end once and for all for their sorrow and for his own lusting curiosity. But say they really did find the Shikon jewel - wouldn’t it just mean having to go back? Humans weren’t so bad...but he _had_ to end the enemies' lives so his true home could be peaceful...he’d wanted that for his mother’s resting soul and for Kikyo's. And yet, there was the lingering reassurance they could come crawling back here if failure was the outcome. _Would that be so bad?_

{ _Edogawa - Jade Tea Room}_

“Miss Kaede! How lovely to see you again!”

Twenty years passing, now almost 31, Kaede finds herself in a strange predicament of all the service boys taking a liking to her. Having spent a long time in hiding while looking like the child she was when she arrived here, when she was of age she hit the ground running to get money. After a long stint working at market stalls, she has become assistant manager of this small but locally known tea shop, the owner a kind old woman who needs more time off than on, perfect for a wage hungry girl like her.

Inuyasha had shown to be quite unreliable in terms of making money the first few years of their search, causing them to move from place to place with no home to speak of. Lately, though she grew more suspicious by the hour, he had buckled down and secured somewhere in Shinagawa - a bustling place near the shoreline, where her roommate always seemed to come home smelling of fish….

Still, she couldn’t complain of his insistence to pay 80% of rent and be out of the home for hours. Though she’d gotten used to a life here, finally, she would sometimes feel _the pulse._ Though Inuyasha dismissed her often, she knew he could feel it.

Someone somewhere near them had power. They’d felt it brimming over the first year they'd lived here but ever since she’d foolishly invited that old man over it had been lost. She’d revisit that shrine every so often but there were days she could feel it and days she couldn’t, and deep down she wondered if it was simply the well waxing and waning for their spiritual connection to their era.

But _where_ was it coming from, truly?

“It’s nice to see you as well, Kaito. How is your mother?”

“Oh, she’s doing okay now, thank you for asking! Your medicine really helped. I have your oolong today but unfortunately the matcha shipment was delayed so I’m sorry! But it will be a pleasure to be seeing you later this week.” His smile sets something aflutter in Kaede.

“Not a problem. What are you up to today?”  
Kaito continues walking through the small shop from the entrance and plops the leaves onto the counter where she’s washing some cups from the breakfast crowd.

“Um,” he stutters as she smiles at him and he palms a tiny container from his satchel. “Oh just work, and I will probably go make dinner for mother later on.”

“Such a doting son, how respectable,” Kaede replies. 

“Thanks, Miss Kaede. U-um, I made these mochi to give my thanks for your care regarding my mother. You know, out of all the deliveries on my route, you’re one of the only people who even acknowledges me.”

Kaede opens up the box he’s placed in front of her with six mochi, three red bean, and three green tea. She grabs a red bean one and samples a taste - emitting an _mmm._ _  
_ “Wonderful, thank you so much, Kaito. I shall share these with my roommate. His sweet tooth is astounding,” she chuckles.

“Your roommate...it’s that man with the silver hair, right?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”  
Pausing as she puts the gift and package aside, she contemplates Kaito, fidgeting with his pockets.

“You’re not... _with him,_ right?”

Eyes bugging out of her skull, his face turns a scarlet as she busts a gut with many chuckles. 

“I-I’m sorry if I offended - “

Kaede halts him putting a hand out. “My gods, it will be a cold day in hell if I _ever_ wanted to be with that stubborn pinhead. No, no, he’s an old dear friend.”

“O-oh, well that’s a relief. I just wanted to know, Miss Kaede, if you would consider letting me take you on a date. It’s some of the last days for warm weather and I was thinking if you liked the mochi then I could prepare a picnic for us.”  
The laughing stops as abruptly as it started.

“A date? With...me?”

She’d dedicated most of her free time wandering around new places to look for any traces of Kikyo or the jewel shards, scouring the internet on her laptop for databases of young women. As such, outside of the regular customers here and there, she didn’t really have any friends except Inuyasha. And she has _never_ been one for crushes. He is such a sweet man, though, isn’t he?

“I think you’re wonderful, Kaede. I...I look forward to seeing you every week.

Would she be confined to live out her life in total secrecy? Did she not deserve the same pleasure Inuyasha seems to abuse on the daily? She'd never been on a date before. What if she never got a second chance?  
“What a kind thing to say. Kaito, I would be honoured.”

They’d exchanged numbers, Kaito whistling his way out back onto his bike as he finished his deliveries. She honestly couldn’t help the giddy feeling at the pit of her stomach for the rest of the afternoon. It’s closing time, and she’s shooing out the last of the men with a smile. Rounding up the last of the dishes, she collects the stray newspapers some of the patrons had left on the tables.

Pocketing them in her bag, she decides as she locks up the shop to rifle through them once she gets on the subway line. _Japan Today_ has a good crossword puzzle, but nothing of great interest to her. She pulls out _Tokyo University Times,_ a paper she knew of, but had only read once or twice because the access was students only online, and flips through it until she nearly screams.

“ _Kikyo…”_

Running her finger along a photograph, she skims the article under the headline “ _Local professor Watanabe Koji marries fellow alumnus.”_

_….celebrated his wedding yesterday evening to his bride Akina nee Higurashi, who attended Tokyo University for nursing in 2007._

“HIGURASHI?”

Several passengers glance over to her, and she mumbles a quick apology.

_Mr and Mrs. Watanabe’s daughter, Kagome, will be attending Tokyo University for a General Sciences degree this fall semester._

Her eyes move to the photo, a beautiful group shot of the family.  
_(Watanabe’s from left to right: Kagome, 22; Koji, 51; Akina, 45; Sota, 17; Tomiko (girlfriend of Sota), 17._

Year before this, Kaede had had a hell of a time without the modern internet capabilities they'd had now trying to find out anything about the family at the shrine - is it possible that they were a part of that family? Akina resembled the woman she could remember through the window the very first day they came here, but of course that was so long ago.

 _Kagome.  
_This was no doubt the girl from her vision, she looked exactly the same. Pulling out her mobile, she speed dials Inuyasha.

It hits voicemail. So she texts him.  
“ _Get home as soon as you see this - I found her.”_

  
  
  



	3. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha and Kaede plan for him to meet Kagome on her university orientation day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: This is a modern AU, and as such, I am allowing the liberty to use perks of more 2010s technology like insta and read receipts over a more accurate early 2000s that follow the anime/manage release to enhance the story a bit.

{Shinagawa - The Apartment}

"What the _hell_ is an instagram? Gimme."

Snatching Kaede's phone away, he goes to sit on their couch as she huffs over to the kitchen to turn off the stove, ladling some soup for them.

"Have you _no_ manners?"

Flashbacks are flooding through his head of Kikyo as he scrolls through the feed - this girl was _strikingly_ similar. She only had about ten posts, but that was enough to see how much she looked like his true love. Who is this…. _Kagome92?_

Sitting next to Inuyasha, Kaede places the bowl in front of him, and he plops the phone onto the coffee table and hungrily shoves the food in his mouth.  
"No, not really, but thanks!"

" _Sigh._ " About to taste the meal, she drops her spoon instead, pounding her first on her knee. "I _knew_ that the family at that shrine had something to do with this! How did I not think to ask that priest what his granddaughter's name was? The answer was right in front of us for so long! I'm so _frustrated._ "

Inuyasha merely laughs. "Man, will you relax, Kaede? She was a baby when we got here, how could we possibly predict that? Didn't you also tell me that the shrine was sold? Plus, we didn't know how old she was in your vision. If you asked that old man about his granddaughter, you would've been a creep!"

After all this time spent, she'd almost started to believe this was a fruitless endeavour, however safe they'd become. _Finally,_ they were getting somewhere.

"You're right...still. I can't believe we finally found her. We need to plan."

"What's to plan? If she goes to university, I can just go find her on orientation day and bring her back here!"

Kaede smacks him upside the head with his palm.

" _What was that for!"_

"Have you learned _nothing!?_ Inuyasha, you're going to have to befriend this Kagome. You can't just ask a stranger to go looking for _jewels._ She must be completely unaware of her power to have harnessed it in any measure."

Snarling, he replies, " _I know that!_ How do you expect me to be friends with her? You never let me have any as it is!"

"That's unkind. You know that if someone sees your ears we have to leave, if you didn't lie to me about working we would never have had to stop talking to that man! Maybe we would've figured this out sooner?"

"Now who's being unfair! Look, I know you'll probably always be mad about that but what are the chances we'd be able to stay in touch with him for years if he didn't see me age? And I changed my kitchen jobs so often so nobody would remember me for too long. There're millions of people in this city and i've managed not to disturb anyone else so far!"

"That's _highly_ unlikely," she snorts.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean! You really want to pick on me today, huh?"

"I only know how you tend to _act,_ Inuyasha. And with all the things you've been buying - yes, i've seen your room, it's filthy by the way - I know whatever you're doing for work is probably unethical."

Gulping, he refuses to respond, grumbling into his noodles.  
"If you stopped being so rash all the time I would let you talk to Kagome at your own pace. I trust that you can disguise your appearance now, but we need to trust her and I would desire to meet with her before divulging all the information that is likely to overwhelm her. And in order to do _that…"_

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I am going to have to like….hang out with her and stuff. I don't even know how to do that, Kaede. I've spent almost my whole life on my own, and even though this place is filled with a lot of fun things it just feels like a distraction. And what if she doesn't even like me? I don't know how to talk to people, you say so all the time."

Kaede contemplates him; it seems that getting used to a life without constant strife has allowed Inuyasha some much needed self reflection. She wraps her arm around him. He is jolted and turns to gaze at her now kind eyes. "Remember when you met her, Inuyasha? Kikyo? You hated humans. You tried to steal the jewel every single time you came across her."

" _Yeah. And?"  
_

"And over time you were able to put the sword down and talk. Just through that...you came to love one another. She accepted you as you are when nobody else would and you, for the first time since your mother, felt like you belonged somewhere. Didn't you?"

"I really did."  
The memories are still painful. Every time he thinks the final wound might start to heal, something reminds him of her to tear it open. Even just passing a trinket stall with a shrine figurine can remind him that he can't truly rest until this endeavour is finished. Because she protected him and paid the ultimate price - it's only fair he protects what she sacrificed herself for.

"Kikyo was the most compassionate person I've known. Her heart was pure and in the end, she was willing to live and die for _you,_ Inuyasha."

"I know, Kaede - I don't want to talk about her like this right now," he struggles against her grip in an attempt to free himself, but she stops him by grabbing his chin, noticing his eyes shining slightly.

"What I mean to say, Inuyasha, is that you have everything in you to be great. It's simply that oftentimes you don't act on that," and she laughs, almost fondly. "If someone like Kikyo loved you, then there are plenty of good things within you. It's what I've always kept in mind when you annoy me. You are brave; you stick to your convictions, and you stand up for those less able than you. These are all things you can't always readily exemplify in this era and using your personality to garner favour is something you often wall up with everyone around you. Maybe consider lowering that wall a bit when you go meet this Kagome."

Staring at his feet, she can almost see the wheels turning inside his mind. Picking up their empty bowls, she walks over to the sink.  
"Can I ask you something, Kaede?"

"Of course."

"All this time...I know you have the people that come into your shop, but aren't you lonely too? You were so young when we left. And you don't have these stupid dog ears."  
He points to them, growling in annoyance.

"Funny you should ask that today, it's been a very odd one. Sometimes, I am. I suppose this constant quest I've been on to find Kagome has filled a lot of the void. But as it stands...you know, nevermind."

She waves everything away, to which end, Inuyasha spins around on his cushion, cocking his head at her curiously.

"No, what?"

"The boy who makes the tea deliveries asked me out today...and I said yes."

" _That guy_? He apologized to _me_ when I bumped into him! You're gonna tear him to shreds in ten seconds flat."

"Don't be _rude!"  
_ Happy now that the mood has elevated a little, she still is compelled to throw the washcloth she's using at his head; it skims his hair as he laughs.

"I'm just saying, if he starts talking all flowery and shit - or hell, even brings you flowers - you're gonna lay in on him for being anti-feminist or something."

"Don't curse, Inuyasha. And no, I only get tough with you because you have a lot of character flaws, unlike Kaito, who has a decent job and actually talks to me with _respect!"_

"So now he has a name? You guys are on a first name basis too, huh? He must really want to get some." Making kissy faces at her, she rolls her eyes and grabs the gift Kaito gave her from the fridge.

"Well, Kaito gave me mochi because I prepared some medicine for his _sick_ mother, and I was _going_ to share the rest with you, but I think i'm just going to go to bed and brainstorm some planning strategies and eat the rest myself."

" _Aw, come on, Kaede! I was just joking!"_

{University of Tokyo Campus - Orientation}

 _Good luck!  
Play nice!  
I know you're seeing this, does it hurt to reply?  
_Two weeks had gone by. Besides her instagram, they could find nothing about Kagome except for the primary schools she'd gone to. Outside of trying to rationalize the best way to find out her schedule to be able to observe any of her behaviours, the entirety of how well or how bad the interaction was going to be was up to Inuyasha.

Kaede's constant barrage of text messages only freaked him out further than his nerves already did; " _I hate this."_

Give him a weapon and he could tame anything in seconds. The idea of actually having to use his talking skills and not his training was daunting; on a pretty girl, no less. _It's not just a pretty girl, it's a curly haired Kikyo._

" _What the hell am I doing? Here goes nothing."_

Kaede insisted he wear something nicer, but Inuyasha is obsessed with these 'joggers' - almost as mobile as his robe. And the only kind-of-friend he had, Shin, always gave him free shirts after he'd saved him from being beat up. Say, it had been a while since he'd gone to Shin, maybe he could ask that guy for advice on how to talk to women? Did he even have a girlfriend? A wife?

Already appropriately riled, he almost bumps into someone in this absolute barrage of students. Following the map on his phone, he finds himself close to the congregation for the general social sciences studies. It's ten to ten and he needs to be able to at least start a conversation before they're led around campus.

Hands slick with sweat, he bobs his head left and right in the eager queue of young people until… " _Kagome"."_

Practicing saying her name to her photos, he had to try and condition himself not to slip up and call her Kikyo, even though she's just sitting there on the edge of a planter in a red dress and looks so much like her he almost wants to yell. Or cry, maybe, and he _never_ does that.

Someone pushing past him, saying an 'excuse me', jerks him back to reality, and despite all the blood in his body elevating to volcano levels, he marches over to her, gearing up to say something as she examines the course pamphlet.

"H-hi." _Pathetic._

"Oh - hi"

Looking up at him, she's taken aback by this random guy with crazy-long hair. He's got a longboard and a backwards hat, and a scary looking design on his shirt. Not the usual type of guy she's used to being around.  
 _I wonder what toner he uses to get that colour so light?_

"U-um, I" he coughs. "I saw you sitting alone and I don't know anyone here so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Inuyasha. What's your name? You're taking general social sciences too, right? _Ha ha."_

 _Why is he shaking? Boys are so weird.  
_ "Inuyasha...that's a cool name! I'm Kagome. Yes, I'm taking general too. Are you excited for the tour? My dad works here so i've been here a few times, but this place is huge!"

 _My_ name _is cool? Why is she so….  
_ His mind races with 'cute' and 'friendly', but he has to shake off this nerve if he has any chance of getting her to even want to talk to him again.

"Yeah, I, uhm tried to memorize the map but I didn't realize….uh, how big it actually is."

Silence fills the void and inside his head he can hear Kaede screeching _SAY SOMETHING USEFUL, YOU IDIOT!_

"So which courses are you taking this semester? I'm looking forward to the history of Japan class."

He mentions it because it's the only mandatory that everyone has. Smiling at him, his knees wobbling slightly at her lips, she lists them off for him.  
"Oh, me too! I'm taking sociology, psychology and anthropology - all the 'ologies', ha ha! You?"

"I'm taking those too!" Crap, he's not supposed to say he'll be in all of them, think, think! "I mean, except for anthropology...and psychology. I wanted to take uh, a few music intro courses. I'm not really sure what I wanna do yet, to be honest."

Grinning as wide as he can without it being _too_ fake, she takes it in stride and claps her hands together.

"Wow, music would be so fun, I am lousy at that sort of thing. I usually just listen to whatever my friends are, you must be passionate about it! And me neither, I have no idea what I want to do but it's been a while since I was doing anything academic and I'm so excited."

"Yeah...it sure is exciting..."

"Do you have the history class Wednesdays or Thursdays?"

"I can't remember..i'm pretty sure it's Wednesdays?"

"Oh me too!"

"Yeah, i'm like 90% sure mine is on Wednesday too."  
 _She's too naive, she doesn't even suspect anything about me, how could she possibly be the girl who can wield power to protect the jewels? Why is she so nice?!_ But he can't deny that he feels _something_ around her that emanates power. As much as he thought Kaede was losing it with that pulse nonsense, she was definitely right.

" _Kagome!"_

The pair jerk to the source of the noise to see a tall sandy haired boy running up to them.

"Hojo!"

Shrieking, she jumps up and runs into Hojo's arms, who then squeezes her and kisses her fully on the mouth.

" _What the hell?"  
_ Balling his fists, _She's not Kikyo_ radiates through his head over and over watching them touch each other's faces and look _way_ too gushy to be in public.

"Inuyasha, this is my boyfriend Hojo!"

"Nice to meet you," Hojo greets with a smile and a wave.

"A pleasure." For some reason the love birds don't even register the acidity in his inflection.

"Hojo was on a research trip - he just got back!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I was in Kyoto, have you ever been?"

"No."

"Hojo is studying the Sengoku period for his masters research in Public History! Isn't that neat?"

"Very."  
She suddenly raises an eyebrow as he only now seems to notice that his arms are crossed and there's a tiny snarl vibrating in his throat. Hojo seems unfazed.

_Stop looking jealous, she's NOT KIKYO!_

"Well, since Hojo went to school here too he's going to show me around so we can go get lunch together! It was nice meeting you, I'll see you in class on Wednesday!"

"Huh - well, uh okay bye!" He's missed his mark as they're happily chatting and already walking away from him. "...Kagome."

{Zugaikotsu - 9 PM}

"You want another?"

Shaking the empty Fire Coffee can, Inuyasha sighs at Shin.

"Nah, Kaede will kill me if I do. Can't keep staying up all night like this anymore."

"Kaede isn't your mom, right? It's not like you're drinking, have another coffee!"

Dangling a fresh can in his hand, Inuyasha sighs again, nabs it, and gulps down the beverage as he attempts to tune into the somewhat mellow sound the opening band is playing tonight.

"Haven't seen you in a while, man. You look sad, what's up?"

"I'm fine..."

"Come on dude, it's been months, aren't we friends?"  
Shin is leaning over the counter, all ears. The man is towering, albeit very slim, with long black hair that he always keeps in a topknot.

Roughly two years prior, Inuyasha had just gotten done with a long shift at his job - a dishwasher at a local buffet - and it was 1 am. He liked to cut through the alleyways everyone always warned him about to get home faster.

He came across Shin and some ruffian who was threatening him about money he owed him; at knifepoint.

"I gave you more time, Shin, and now it's up! I know you're good for it!"

"Idiot! I told you I don't get paid until Fridays! Now if you're gonna be a big man and cut me, then just _do it_ already, I have work to do!"

" _Ahh,_ shut up!"  
Backed up against the wall, Inuyasha stumbled across the grim scene; he was never a fan of unfair squabbles.

"I'd like to see you try!"

Wavering slightly at the effrontery, the attacker pushed the tall man against the brick wall, loud muffled music from the building orchestrating the adrenaline that fueled their fake gravitas. Still, the man began to press the blade slowly to Shin's arm that masked his face, who was desperately trying to push him away without severe injury.

"Hey, didya hear what he said, moron? He'll give it to you Friday!"

Both of the men shot their gaze at Inuyasha, seemingly unassuming in his dirty chef uniform.

"You keep on walking, son! This has nothing to do with you. I'd gut you in ten seconds flat."

Growling, feeling the insult pulsing through him, Inuyasha shook the callout off to try and regain his bearings. _I am not controlled by my urges._

"Listen, _son,_ I don't take kindly to people who fight dirty. You can talk this out man to man, can't you? Are you so primitive that you can't even have a conversation?"  
To be completely honest, Kaede had used this persuasion tactic on him years before, when a villager expressed thanks to Kikyo and he'd reacted poorly. It stuck with him.

"Shut up!"

Leaving Shin, this asshole charged Inuyasha, who in one swift movement tackled the blade from his grasp and punched him - only one time - to the ground. He broke the blade in half and threw it in a nearby dumpster.

Shin, panting in awe at his hero, was shaken at the fact he'd simply begun to walk away as casually as he came: " _Wait!"_

Inuyasha paused.  
"I owe you a drink, at least - what's your name?"

Snap back to now, and Inuyasha was allowed into the metal bar for free whenever he wanted, Shin shoving any leftover merch the bands had into his hands. A nice guy, really, but Inuyasha knew that he couldn't keep anyone too close, just in case.

"There's uh, this girl I'm trying to get to know, but i've never really been good with girls."  
 _Or humans._

"Is that all, man?" Shin laughs and takes the third empty energy drink from him and chucks it into the recycling. " _Get to know, eh?"_

"Come on, not like that," he whines as Shin wiggles his brow. "I'm trying to make more friends and I don't think i've ever had a friend before who was a female."

Okay, well Kaede doesn't count - he doubts that she'd even stick with him if Kikyo didn't tether them.

"A _female?_ What is this, 1957? Inuyasha, you just have to treat her like any other person. And I bet she's got a boyfriend, huh?"

" _Yeah…"_

"Uhuh. See, pretty girls don't like when guys try to be friends with them to get something out of it. If you really want to be her friend then you just have to try and get to know what she likes and _listen_ to her. Like with anyone else. If you just want to be friends to get in her pants, she'll probably see right through you."

As if he would _ever_ betray Kikyo like that.

"I guess you're right. She just reminds me of…. _my first love."_ This is the first time he's mentioned Kikyo to someone in this era. "In a good way. And it makes me stumble on my words. She's...super nice though. She's starting the same program as me."

"Your ex, huh? And you're going to school now, Inu? Man, you really have changed a lot, usually you're the man of mystery. There's a lot to unravel about you. Why don't we _finally_ exchange numbers? That way you don't have to come out here just to ask me a question a grown man should already know?"

"I hate it when you call me that."  
Tossing his phone over to Shin, the man never stopped smiling - it was almost infuriating.

"Yeah, that's why I enjoy it so much. Listen, man, seems like you're taking a lot of big steps right now to grow your character - I like that. Just be yourself and try your best, that's all anyone can do, right? Now, this second band is hard as hell and I think what the crowd needs is some of that thrashing you always love doing. I swear you must've been a brawler in another life."

 _If only you knew.  
_ Guitars whaling in time with the drum beat and Inuyasha leaves the bar for the floor. He starts by grabbing a random concert-goer by the collar and slamming him into another dude. 'Moshing', as it were, was the only activity Inuyasha had ever felt resembled battles in this era. Someone pushing and shoving him around and allowing the liberty of doing the same back made him feel _alive_ again.

And though on most occasions the caffeine and music usually hyped him up, he can't shake the thought that it's the demon in him that's been controlling most of his actions for even most of his time spent here. About how scary it truly is that now he has to become human.


	4. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha grapples with trying to truly be human.

{University of Tokyo Campus - Wednesday}

_Just be yourself and try your best, that's all anyone can do, right?_

If Shin had a point, Inuyasha had only ever used 'try your best' when it was to slice someone's head off. That's gonna be easier said than done, isn't it? He isn't even certain he knows what 'being himself' entails. Almost 150 years of constant fear and vigilance versus only 20 of mostly restless respite...it should've been enough time to allow him to grow but he's beginning to realize that only talking to Kaede was definitely a mistake.  
But what was he supposed to do!? The priestess jerk was always breathing down his neck until he started to bring home tons of yen.

" _Who would've thought slaying bad guys would be less intimidating than one GIRL!"_

"Inuyasha!"

Almost falling out of his seat, he didn't even notice Kagome running up the steps of their lecture hall to the very back where he was, now nearly full of their peers - but he'd been there for forty minutes just waiting for her.

"H-hi!"  
Why couldn't he just talk normally? Damn, she was just so beautiful. Looking like Kikyo _wasn't fair!_

"How was the tour? I'm sorry I was so rude going with Hojo after just meeting you like that but I hadn't seen him in so long. Wow, this class is huge, did you get your textbook yet? It was so expensive!"

Leaning against the table, she's smiling so big again - it feels like his tongue and brain have short circuited. So many things to reply to.  
"Uh, it's ok, Ki-Kagome. I didn't get the textbook yet and the tour was fine, pretty boring so I didn't go on the whole thing." In truth, he left as soon as she did.

"Yeah, that's why Hojo pulled me away. He also told me that sometimes the professors barely use the textbooks but the school makes them recommend one to make money at the bookstore, so you're probably smart for not getting it yet, I'm just so nervous about doing well."

"Uh….well being prepared as much as you can is good, right? "

"Right!"  
Grinning even wider, he gulps, wondering if this is how all humans constantly feel in the presence of someone so, so…. _cute._

"Did you, uh, want to sit with me Kagome?"

"Oh yes! But….why so far back? We're going to strain our eyes. I was actually hoping you would be here so we could sit together."

 _She was hoping I'd be here?_ He can feel his ears burning.  
"O-oh well uh, the only seats left are in the front."

"That's perfect! I didn't do so well in high school and I was surprised to receive such good results for the entrance exam. I really want to sit up there and make an impression but I understand if you want to stay here, it's intimidating."

"NO I'LL GO." _Too loud,_ he cringes. A few people glance back at him from their laptops, but outside of a few looks everyone minds their own business. "Sorry, I had too many energy drinks this morning."

Kagome merely laughs. "You had more than one? If I have even a few sips I'd be up all night."

"I just really like Fire Coffee…"

"My brother loves those too! He stays up all night gaming, I think my mom is about ready to kill him sometimes, he'll wake her up when he loses with his yelling."

Grabbing his bag, he follows her down - hoping that nobody stares at him for too long, completely aware of his fangs and the hat sitting on his head. As they find a spot, it's just the two of them, only inches away. Kagome takes out her computer and turns it on. Thinking of something to ask her, he grabs his notebook and a pen.  
"Oh so you like written notes? I read somewhere that it helps you retain information easier than typing but i'm just not fast enough for that."

"To be honest, I write because I am not fast enough at typing. I wouldn't worry too much if you're paying attention."  
 _Where did that come from? Since when could he be nice?  
_ She emits a little _hmm_ , creating a new word document with _History of Japan - Week 1._ Inuyasha scribbles the same.

 _You're going to have to actually focus on these studies, Inuyasha. If being friendly doesn't seem to work then studying together might. And I can help you with your readings so you can talkk about it with Kagome so she doesn't think you're the dunce you are in reality.  
_ Kaede's words were ringing in his head; not only did he _hate_ reading, sitting still like this for more than an hour might _actually_ kill him. No, he had to try harder and not have that as a last resort.

"Say Kagome -"

The idle chattering that had been the backdrop begins to cease as their professor swings open the door to enter the room. He doesn't get to finish his sentence because Kagome is eager, the woman starts lecturing almost immediately.

 _Something, something - prehistoric era. Blah blah blah.  
_ Inuyasha spends almost the entire time trying not to side eye Kagome as she types a mile a minute, nodding incredibly emotively at all the information flying at her. It's so infuriating how much she resembles Kikyo, that the thought literally occupies over half of his headspace like a drum beat. Yet, he knows she can't help that and he knows that she isn't.

Desperately trying to _pay attention,_ he ends the class with...a page and a half of random jibber jabber that he shoves back into his backpack before he can come under scrutiny.

"That was _so_ much in just one lecture...still, really fascinating, wasn't it? Who knew that we're one of the countries with some of the oldest artifacts?"

"Yeah, crazy...Say, Kagome -"

"Well Inuyasha, I am meeting a friend for coffee before my next class, she goes here too for economics. Are you in the second section for sociology? On Fridays at 11 am?"

 _Dammit to hell.  
_ "Yeah."

"Great! Well I'll see you then! It's nice to have a friend on the first day, let's sit together again, ok?"

 _A friend?  
_ Something inside him constricts as he watches her zoom out of the classroom.

{Sagami Bay - Nightfall}

Propelling himself off the rocks at the bottom of the ocean, Inuyasha resurfaces and inhales a giant breath. Tonight's poaching _isn't_ going well. He's able to get out cloaked in the nighttime fairly quickly using his demon reflexes from the city, but he might have to find a new locale. The fishermen are catching on.

Usually he's able to slice through the crab and fish traps pretty damn easily, but it seems like his claws do nothing against this reinforced kind of metal. _Stupid modern technology._

Still, he contemplates if the reason for the lack of success is due to the fact that he can't quit thinking about her. Seeing someone who was nearly a carbon copy of Kikyo was _much_ more than just a visceral experience.  
It wasn't that it brought up bad memories. Of course it _did,_ but he had more than enough time to process Kikyo's death and come to terms with the fact that life doesn't seem to be fair to him.

The main thing that's bugging him is, as much as she looks like her - she's _different._ And not even different in a bad way, but Kikyo was always so mellow and composed and this girl seems to be just bursting full of life...and innocence. And though he'll probably never have the nerve to discuss this with Kaede, he doesn't really want to rip that away from someone who is normal and adjusted. Who are they to give her a new cross to bear?

And yet, if only they can pass through the well, that _means_ she must be vital and have a connection with the past. It also means they didn't just waste all their time for nothing and can finally do what they came for. It had become such a routine part of life to be unsuccessful in finding anything about Kagome, and drawing up nothing in terms of the Shikon No Tama. Now that they had some success, the last few days were almost like a fever dream.

Something that Kaede had told him earlier that night - something he could not put any stock into right now or he'd probably explode - was the hypothesis that if Sesshomaru or Naraku had garnered enough shards, what if in the years passing, they'd both teamed up to try and find them? Nobody could sense them but Kikyo, but what would happen if the pair finally ventured back to their era only to be overpowered? Kaede nor Kagome in this time period would ever live to see the ripple effect of a complete takeover, but Inuyasha was unlikely to die here until the time caught up. Maybe there was no point in even doing all this. If they go back and they lose immediately, what would've been the point?

Swimming to the shore, he's catching his breath as he briefly examines his poor excuse for a haul today, looking up at the moon as he plops onto the sand in the dark.  
"What would you have done, Kikyo?"

{Watanabe Home - Nightfall}

"...and Tamaki is in my homeroom too, which is great because we both want to try out for the tennis team so we can practice with the same schedule." Sota is regaling the table with his first day of his final year in high school.

"Oh that's wonderful, son. And Kagome, you had your history of Japan, correct? And…?"  
Koji had ordered them pizza tonight as both he and Kagome had gotten home late. Their mom was working a double at the hospital.

"Psychology."  
It was only the first day and she was overwhelmed. Already two to three chapters for each course to read and an online discussion board... she's been out of school for so long; university was so much more intense.

"It's a lot, huh? You'll be fine, you work hard, it's just more mental than physical now," their new dad chuckles, wiping his sauce-covered moustache with a napkin. The man had a knack for reading people. "Did either of you make any new acquaintances?"

"Nah, not really, same old people as last year. Hey dad, can I be excused? We're trying to stream tonight, last time we almost reached 400 people!"  
Without waiting for an answer, Sota jumps off his chair with a slice in his hand, swiftly jogging into his gaming lair; his bedroom.

"Gosh, he's rude sometimes."

"Heh, it's nice he has something he has so much fun with." Koji is always so cheery. "Did you get a chance to meet any peers?"

"Um…kind of?"  
Inuyasha was _weird._ But he was the only person who introduced himself and to be honest, if she'd stayed on the tour with nobody to talk to she would've hated it. She hadn't seen him at any of the other first week events; they ended up being so boring because she felt so alone. Honest though? He seemed as awkward as she felt and she had told herself she wouldn't let that get in the way and be outgoing.

"I remember I found my first year so difficult because I was just in a sea of students, though that was forever ago. Now you can easily get in touch with everyone. It's really a good thing to make friends so you can study and make potential connections for the future."  
Closing up the takeaway box, Kagome hesitates before replying. 

"I did meet this one guy...I don't know how to feel about him. He introduced himself before the tour as Hojo came to find me. He's in my Japanese class and sociology Friday. I decided to sit with him today because he was nice enough to talk to me, but he's a little..."

"Awkward?"

" _Heh,_ yeah."  
She recalls him almost shouting that he'd follow her to the front. Koji can see a small grin.

"You know, Kagome, a lot of students that come to U of T are not from the city. It can be very overwhelming for a lot of people in small towns to come here and try to start a new life. It takes guts to introduce yourself to a complete stranger. Is it possible he's just not used to the volume of people and the scope of a big place? Maybe he has nobody here supporting him and isn't quite sure how to go about it."

 _Nobody supporting him?...What a terrible thought!  
"_Maybe you're right. I wouldn't have ever considered that."

"It is difficult to get out of your own head, especially when everything is new like this."

A kind look on his face, Kagome replies "Thanks, Koji, you always know what to say."

She was going to get more info out of this Inuyasha Friday; maybe together they could form a network of college friends.

{University of Tokyo Campus - Friday}

Inuyasha overslept - _who the hell has a class at 8:30 am?_ He's trying so fucking hard not to use his full running capacity as he speeds down the buildings halls to find the right room.

It's 8:35.  
Panting slightly, he tries to open the door as inconspicuous as possible, drawing attention regardless as the professor has already begun. Baring his teeth into a too-big apologetic smile, he's mostly saved by the scrutiny from the tiny hand beckoning him in the middle of the room on the left side - _Kagome._

Today she's just being unfair. In a high ponytail, she's got on a black crop top and leggings. Besides the fact he can see way too much body definition, her hair being tied up makes her eyes look even bigger, the same amber hue he'd fallen in love with so long ago, her lips shining with gloss.

Swallowing hard, he sits down.  
" _Thanks for saving me a seat."_

" _No problem_. _This is way too early_ - _I got lucky because my dad drives into work for 8 am."_

" _SHHH."_

Jumping slightly in their seats from being scolded, they both catch each other's glances and stifle a laugh.  
" _Okay, let's pay attention."_

Even though that's the last thing he wants, Inuyasha zips open his bag and grabs the same spiral notebook as Wednesday, begrudgingly penning out a headline.  
As the lesson goes on, she finds herself examining him as slyly as she can while he's lost focus and is spending way too much time on a doodle. The guy is muscular, and well, he _is_ handsome. _Maybe even as handsome as Hojo._ Dressed like a juvenile skater, with another strange t-shirt, a beanie, and those obnoxious red sweatpants again, it kind of suits him.

Break time comes and instead of getting up to go get another coffee as he planned, Kagome is searching some of the terms they apparently just discussed. So, Inuyasha tries to start a conversation.

"How was that other class you had? On Wednesday?"

"Tough, honestly. My teacher is great, though, she explains things so easily but there's a lot of terms to learn in psychology. What about you? Music, right?"

 _Crap,_ he forgot about that _._ He only picked it because he was thinking about seeing Shin. _How do I get out of this!?_ He'd read so much about university, he racks his brain until - "Well I decided to do, uh, part time, this year. So I dropped the music, as much as I like it, because I don't even play anything. I just enjoy the sound. If I don't know what I want then why waste time when I can help support my cousin too."

God, why tell the truth when lying and embellishing was so much easier?

Kagome thinks that's very gracious, and self aware. "How introspective. That's so kind of you! You must have a job then?"

"Yeah, I fish."  
Folding his arms, he knows this compliment shouldn't make him feel so happy because of a dumb fib, but regardless - who had ever said _that_ to him?

"I _love_ fish! What do you usually catch?"

Keeping as much composure as he can he clears his throat. "Anything, really. Crabs...mackerel...tuna...eel...salmon?"

"I love all of those. Sushi is my favourite food ever! You must be really good to be able to sell all of those." Her stomach rumbles ever so slightly. She giggles. "Sorry, I didn't have time for breakfast. My father and I are meeting for an early lunch but now I am really craving seafood, maybe I can ask my mom to stop to pick something up for dinner later."

Before he can stop to think he blurts out: "Do you want some sushi now? Kaede made some last night and I have leftovers. This is the only thing I have to do today so I can just go home and get more."

Rifling through his bag, he tosses Kagome a container of salmon and cucumber sushi rolls, who stares at it as if it saved her from death.  
"Wow! Thank you so much! This is so nice of you." She shoves a piece into her mouth via her hands. "Mm, It's so _delicious,_ Kaede is who?"

_Dammit. "My cousin."_

"Your cousin, huh? Please tell her thank you." Inuyasha finds himself red for the millionth time.

Maybe he's smart enough to note that this is the first girl he's really seriously tried to converse with in a very long time, but it also does not help that she is his exact type in terms of looks and she happens to be incredibly sweet. Prior to meeting her, he'd failed to entertain the possibility that she'd differ from Kikyo and now it made him unsure of how to act. He needs to change the subject.

"Yeah...So, hey...speaking of food. How was that lunch you had with your boyfriend?"

"Lunch?" she pauses her meal. "Oh, you mean Monday right? It was fine...well actually, it wasn't that good."

"Huh, why? Did he do something to you?"  
His rising tone makes her wave her hands in front; he's having a _really_ difficult staying composed now that his ego has been stroked.Stop assuming, and _START LISTENING!_

"No, no, I meant the food wasn't. Definitely not as good as this, anyways. Hojo really likes this burger chain that they only have in Shibuya City and he really wanted to get one with fries. It was super greasy. I've just been trying to eat a bit healthier because over the summer I was able to quit my job and was so lazy! I think I might've gained 5-10 pounds."

"Well you look perfect anyways, you should just tell him how you feel next time. You're so nice, if he's your boyfriend he should understand."  
Freezing, he drops his gaze and slowly turns his head to see her flushed with pink.

Two minutes feels like two hours as they have no idea how to move past this.

 _He thinks I look perfect? And I'm nice?  
_ She can tell he's embarrassed - they barely know each other! It's just supposed to be advice, right? _Right?_

Picking now at the sushi, the lecture has started up again as she slowly places the lid back onto the empty tub. She pushes it back to him and he quietly stows it away. All Inuyasha can think is _thank god_ that someone else is taking up attention but he can feel her eyeing him - did he absolutely ruin any chance of _anything_ with her? Who says that to someone they've only just met?

The lesson goes by painfully slow. Kagome is up and out the door in a flash, muttering a thank you as soon as everything ends. Knowing that if he doesn't act before next week happens she might dismiss him forever, he dashes out to try and find her.

 _Ah, fuck.  
_ He has to apologize. He never does that.

Outside the class, he looks left and right to no avail before sighing and going to the vending machine. He's not going to chase her. He grabs a bag of chips and opens it, munching and almost resigned to the fate of having to sit in silence.

And then, she's glued to her phone coming back from the girls bathroom.

"Hey - Kagome!"

Startled, she looks up at him and tries to smile - it looks more deranged than welcoming. The pit of his stomach is so tight he wants it to swallow him whole instead of having this conversation.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I said what I said. I don't think before I talk sometimes...well, all the time. I think that uh - that uh - " just be _honest,_ Inuyasha! "That you're pretty and nice, but I shouldn't have phrased it like a creep. _"_

He's rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes tightly shut waiting for a reply; she can tell he means it. "Inuyasha, are you from here? Tokyo, I mean?"

" _Huh?" Could she know!?_ "W-what do you mean?"

"I was talking to my dad yesterday...and he asked me if I made any friends. You're the only person that's talked to me _so_ far."

He's frozen to the floor, words are strangled in his throat.

"He said that a lot of students are coming here from other towns, and that maybe you just were overwhelmed if you're not used to this many people. It's hard trying to make friends and say the right things."

She shows her teeth in genuine reassurance, and he hates that he has to keep making things up to smooth it all over.

"I'm from a really small town...near," Now what was that small place he'd fished at called, again? "Miura. I just moved in with my cousin a few months ago _._ There were only a few families where I lived so meeting anyone new is kinda..."

"Weird, right?"

" _Yeah."_

"I understand. Well, honestly, it's ok. I could tell how mortified you were." Will his nerves ever be sated!? "It's not like you said anything mean, I literally just didn't know how to reply!"

Blinking at her in surprise, she just continues on.

"Hey, can I ask you how old you are, Inuyasha?"

Is 170 too old?  
"23...why?"

"Oh good, do you want to come out tomorrow night? You haven't been to all of Tokyo yet, I'm sure. We can show you some neat places and we'll probably go to a park for sundown, Hojo has a barbeque and we were going to make some hot dogs or something. We're all of age so we would probably just have a few drinks, that's why I asked."

" _Huh?"_ Eyes wide, this was definitely the last thing he expected her to say, and he's so frickin tongue tied to reply, he barely gets it out. "I mean, I have been here for a bit, but that would be great. I've never been to one before."

"Great, do you have a phone? I can text you tomorrow."  
 _He's never been to a barbeque?_ With this knowledge, she's glad she took what Koji had told her to heart. He's just not used to life here and someone who basically gives a stranger their food cannot be a bad person, right?

"Yeah."  
He's hard to read, she thinks, as she enters her phone number into his.

"Okay well I'm going to go study. I'll see you tomorrow, Inuyasha. Have a great day!"

"You too, Kagome."

Watching her walk away, his fingers can't seem to stop twitching.  
His first _ever_ invitation to a party.


	5. Eri's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha meets Ayumi and Eri, wherein the latter concocts a plan.

{The Apartment}

" _Ow -_ will you quit it, already! I can brush my own hair!"

"Clearly not if you've got it tangled this much - was this the first time using a conditioner? Why is it so dry?"

Kaede still can't believe that Inuyasha managed to pull off getting a friendly invite to something in just a week. But unlike orientation, she's not allowing him to go meet multiple people dressed like he normally does. Still, with hair this long it's taking forever to get the knots out, the fishy odour off him, and into someone who actually resembles an adjusted adult human. _Honestly_.

"Have I ever been known to give a shit about stuff like that? OW!" Sitting on the bath edge in his towel, she tries to comb out a particularly ratty section. Squirting some of her oils into his ends, she makes sure she covers all the strands before it's dry.

"Oh hush, you're fine. Now, go show me those new pants you got yesterday. You're not wearing those red joggers _again._ And I'm going to put this mess on your head into a braid."  
Spritzing a final soft neutral vanilla onto him, he coughs.

" _Geez,_ what is all of this crap you're putting on me?"

"This is an _event_ you've been invited to, you need to show some respect by not showing up looking like a _complete_ hooligan and reeking of ocean. Which, by the way, I still would like to know more about! Now go get your clothes on."

Grumbling, he goes to his room and dumps the shopping bag he got yesterday onto his bed. He hates jeans, so he ended up deciding on trousers that were bright yellow with check print; he'd seen someone at the bar wearing something similar the other day and thought they were cool. If Kaede didn't think they were "respectable" enough, he couldn't care less. Rummaging through his hamper, he finds the tshirt he was looking for - _The Yokai Slayers._ Shin gave it to him the last time he visited, the band had played a set - he picks it because the name has a yellow font to match, but mostly because it's his favourite. It has a ninja with a sword chopping off a snake demon's head on it.

Snatching his baseball cap after he puts on socks, he walks out to find Kaede with folded arms.  
" _What is it now?"_ he whines and she shakes her head.

"I know if I make you change you'll just fight with me and waste my time, but if you ever get invited to her home and you wear _that…_ " She sighs.

"This is the stuff I like from this era, okay? You wanted me to fit in so this is what I want to wear."

"Fine, fine, just come over here and let me finish. _Wait._ "

Bending down, she cuffs his pants so they no longer look slightly too short, the boy seemed to somehow get even taller the last few years despite his caffeine addiction.

Walking to the couch, she sits down and he crosses his legs as she settles at her feet. The TV is on a baking show Kaede finds soothing, mildly paying attention to it as she plaits his unruly locks into one large braid, leaving a few pieces out in front to frame his face.

"Much better now. See?"

A mirror is shoved in front of Inuyasha so he can examine himself. Fingering his braid and placing it over his shoulder in front, he grabs his hat and swings it backward like always. Kaede doesn't miss the tiny fleeting grin he has; " _Yeah."_

"So what are you doing later, exactly? You said there was a barbeque, but what else?"

"Dunno," he shrugs, then he feels a smack on his head as he chugs and almost chokes. " _Hey!"_

"Why don't you know? You told me she gave you her phone number, have you not talked to her? After almost ruining your chances?"

"Relax! I was going to call her to meet up. It's what? Almost one now? She said they wanted to make it to the park for sundown, so it's still pretty early."  
In truth, he was way too nervous to start a conversation through text, mostly because it was hard to convey tone and he knew he'd read into whatever she sent way too much. But like hell he'd ever reveal that to Kaede.

"Don't you want to try to spend some time with her not surrounded by people you need to impress? If she has a partner, you won't be able to get her alone for too long."

Suppressing a reaction as best he can- _alone time with Kagome? -_ he gulps.

"Well what am I supposed to say? _Oh, Kagome, let me be alone with you without your stupid boyfriend!_ She already knows I think she's pretty, I'm gonna sound like a creep... _"_

Kaede can tell he's riled. But she knows if she brings up the fact that it must be difficult to see someone look so much like her sister and have to deal with any lingering feelings, he's just going to deflect."Inuyasha, all you have to do is _ask_ when to meet. And then when she replies, you can open up the conversation regarding how her day is going."

"I'm no good at small talk."

"You're going to have to be."

"God, Kaede, I don't know if I can do this. _Any_ of this. Constantly making up a backstory as I go...what if I don't remember what I say? I know I can't just tell her about the shards or she'll probably think i'm crazy but I don't know how many friends she has. What if they all don't like me and she ends up agreeing with them?"

Placing a hand on his arm, she pats him gently. "You're worrying about things that haven't even had potential to happen yet. You managed to get invited out, stop making this too complicated for yourself."

Wrenching himself away from her, he stands up and spins around, fire in his eyes.  
 _"Too complicated? You say that like this is easy! Like it's easy for me to just waltz into someone's life who I might have to put in danger! And not only that, but with someone who - who - "  
_

"Looks like Kikyo? Well, she's _not_ Kikyo. And the sooner you get to know her, you will be able to see that and it _will_ become easier. I promise you this."

"You don't know that! How could you possibly _know that!_ "

"Inuyasha, it's all going to be ok. You have me too, you know. You're not in this alone."

"Yes _I am_!" Fists clenched, he feels near to drawing blood with his claws digging in his palm. With how composed and reasonable she is, his body is shaking - why isn't she more _concerned?_ "Don't you understand that the shards are _my_ responsibility? Even if you can purify them, it's my burden to protect them! And if Kagome can learn how to find them, what if most of them are still in feudal Japan? Or scattered across this earth now? This is _not_ easy."

Kaede considers him for a moment; he hadn't had a mood in a long time. Not about to entertain this side of him, she begins replying in low tones. "Just make the call Inuyasha. Take conflict as it comes. I have thought about all of this too, but ignorance of what the reality is now isn't reason to speculate. We know nothing about Kagome and we know nothing of what our future holds until then. Since I haven't had a vision in this era I don't have the answers, but we just need to try."

Snarling, Inuyasha just stomps back to his bed, slamming the door. Falling onto the mattress, he tries to catch his breath, stuffing his head in pillows to stifle the growling.  
 _Easy for her to say all that! What if we have to travel? And she's not going to be the one fighting everything!_

It had been a while since he felt the demon side in him pulse so hard and be so, well, _mean._ The odd occasions of violence, like with Shin's attacker, at those metal shows, and catching fish with his teeth, were enough to diminish it so far. But it had been an incredibly long time since he felt the stress of performance. And, _boy,_ was he feeling it.

Still, he had to admit...Kaede had a point. Kagome _was_ different. Despite his slip of tongue she was nice enough to invite him out. But in this era….trust was so much easier here, it seemed, because there wasn't any war going on. No special powers to be had.

He just fucking hated not having any clue! Did he really just have to...ugh, _try_?

"God fucking dammit. Well, here goes nothing." He rolls onto his back, sweat dripping down his forehead from his blood simmering down.

Hitting the call button next to _Kagome,_ there are five solid rings until…" _Hello?"_

Over on her side of town, Kagome is slightly startled that Inuyasha's name flashes on screen; who even calls anymore? Ayumi and Eri are here because they'd wanted to go shopping before meeting up with everyone else. Sipping lemonade in her backyard, Kagome jogs into the garden to answer.

"Hey Kagome, it's Inuyasha."

"I know, silly, how are you?"

There's some hesitation before he replies, almost strangled.  
"I-I'm good. I was just wondering when you wanted to meet today? And where?"

 _Poor guy,_ she thinks, he can still barely talk without stuttering. "My friend Yuka is working until about 5 PM, we were all going to meet at the ice cream store she works at so she could join us, and Hojo would come around with a few other friends. And then we'd meet at the park."

"Oh."  
Hojo and a _few_ friends?

"Does that time not work for you?"

"No, no, it's ok. I was just...uh, I'm pretty bored right now to be honest. Which is why I called you."

" _Oh,_ I see." _I'm bored?_ He can hear Kaede in his head; _That's not flattering, Inuaysha!_

Swallowing, he can feel the nape of his neck pulsing as one of his claws seems to involuntarily be digging deep in it.  
"It's not just that Kagome...I was really glad you invited me out today. I don't have any friends here, well maybe _one,_ but when you said that we were it felt nice _._ Uh, so I was just wondering what you were up to because I was excited to go out."

It's the truth. And though it was not as hard as he expected to get it out of his mouth this time around, the pause in between her reply is excruciating.

"Eri and Ayumi are at my place, we're just hanging out." She's glad he can't see her smile. He seems genuine _all_ the time. "I think we all wanted to go to Ginza and walk around, maybe go to a weekend market or something? Definitely the mall. There's nothing specific we want to buy but browsing is fun sometimes...I get if you would think that's as boring as what you're doing now." And she laughs, but it's empty.

"Why would that be boring?"

Startled, he's completely earnest. She's used to having Hojo...well, not Hojo, it's mostly his friend Katsuro. But she's used to Katsuro spear-heading every event with their friends and calling out what the girls want to do as frivolous all the time.

"Most guys I know don't really like shopping I guess."

"He he, well I'm not most guys, Kagome," he's replying, leaving ' _much more than you know'_ out of it, but wanting to punctuate that very badly. "Can I join you?"

Kagome finds herself fiddling with her hair, idly thinking, _his laugh is cute._ Snapping to a second after, she's feeling herself flush.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure that's fine. I think we were planning to go in around an hour. Need to get ready still. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, whenever you want."

"OK well I'll text you when we're about to leave and where we're going."

"Great...thanks."

"See you then!"

Hanging up on him, he - for the millionth time - has a hard time accepting that this could be so easy. Just being friendly was the key? That had never worked before, but then again, she didn't know he was half bred. She doesn't know Sesshomaru or his past life. And...if he's honest, she didn't seem the type that, if he kept being a good person, would even care.

Allowing a few more moments to process his thoughts and gain composure, he goes back out into the living room. If he had a tail, it would absolutely be between his legs right now.

"Yeah so...i'm meeting her in an hour with some girls."

Kaede rolls her eyes, but then she smiles. "Now don't you feel silly?"

" _Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."_

Walking to the fridge, he yanks a green apple out and begins to devour it. Angst makes him hungry.

"You have money, right? You didn't spend it all on those ugly pants and energy drinks, did you?"

"Yeesh, what do ya take me for? Yeah I always make sure I keep some aside."  
His bag on the counter, he rummages through it to find his stash, waving it at her. (He's not going to tell her that it's actually his rent money and he's gotta go hunt again pretty damn heavily in the next week.)

"Stars, I should've made something for the barbeque for you to take...but in any case, make sure that you pitch in your share to cover the food. Do not swear, it's _rude,_ and most important; _listen_ to what these ladies say. Make sure to compliment them too. And play nice with any boys!"

"What are you, my mom?" he asks, juice dripping down his chin as he's failed to swallow what he's chewing in time. Wiping it with his forearm, he's confident. "I can handle myself."

"I might as _well_ be with how much back talk you always give me. And for heaven's sake, do not eat with your mouth full!"

" _Yeah, yeah."_

Though they bicker on and off for the next little bit, Kaede can tell that whatever Kagome has texted to Inuyasha on the phone before he leaves has not only quelled his anger, but has made him blush - or, _unsure._ And that's one quality he's never struggled with before. Pushing the idea that this could be trouble down, she needs to get ready for her own date. Kaito was coming over, since Inuyasha would be gone for a while. She desperately needed to clean his room without him knowing so it stopped smelling like _canine_ in the apartment.

{Ginza - Tokyo Plaza}

"Hey Kagome, this friend of yours, what's his name again?"

"Inuyasha."

"Yeah, Inuyasha. You said he was a bit awkward but nice, right?"

"Right..."

"And you wanted to invite him out now because he was being sweet and grateful over the phone?"

"I mean, I guess?"

"He cute?" Nearly dropping the sandal she's holding, Kagome turns around to see Eri smirking at her. "That means yes."

Questioning why the hell she's so jumpy talking about him, she shakes it off and simply nods with a forced grin. "He's handsome. Why do you ask?"

Coming over to her, Eri leans in close and eyes Ayumi, who is trying maybe her fourth set of heels, laughing with another customer who has the same ones on about how high they are. Ayumi loves shoes, so the first stop they've decided to check out is a new store that opened in the mall.

"She's been pretty bummed since that stupid guy she was seeing ended up having a wife, what an asshole. I was just thinking that, barring Inuyasha being a weirdo, maybe we could try and set them up? Even if it's just one date, maybe she can get her confidence back."

It was true that Ayumi had been more quiet lately, which was rare. Everyone in the combined friend group had a partner except for her now. Well, not Katsuro, but he liked being single. It shouldn't matter, really, but Ayumi has been a hopeless romantic since they were kids and she took these things extra hard, especially now since this particular circumstance was so disgusting. Lately, she's been making offhand comments about how nice it would be to go on dates but she didn't trust online anymore. And it _would_ be a nice thing to do, _but_...  
"Honestly, Eri, I don't know if Inuyasha would be her type."

"Why not?"

"Uhh..." Her pocket buzzes and she checks her phone, happy for the distraction; _I'm outside the store. See you in a sec._

"Oh, so he's here?" Peeking over Kagome's shoulder, Eri reads her text and bobs around to try and spot the mystery man.

Kagome sees him first - raising a hand at them, his other one is in his pocket. He's looking, quite frankly, a _lot_ nicer than he did in class. "Is that him? He's tall - she likes tall guys."

Before Kagome can reply, Ayumi is practically trotting over in six inch stilettos that are baby pink with tiny flowers dotted on the strap. " _Guys_!" Their heads, including Inuyasha's, all shoot at her. "Guys, look how ridiculous these are! But they're so cu- _ah_!"

As if it were nothing, it seems that Inuyasha has managed to run almost four feet in a split second to catch one of Ayumi's wrist as she trips and falls into him. Staggering back a bit, he steadies her as she blinks in surprise, staring up at his face. That kind of an ankle twist would've resulted in and end to her fun today, but she's completely fine.

"T- thanks."

"Are you okay?"

 _Wow, his eyes are so bright.  
_ "I'm fine."

He doesn't seem to notice the fact that she's got her free hand firmly pressed against his chest, but the girls definitely do. Eri raises a brow at Kagome as they hurry over.

"Is your ankle hurt, Ayumi?" Kagome looks at Inuyasha. "Wow, that was lucky you were so fast. Good job."

"That could've been _way_ worse," Eri confirms. "Some hefty reflexes you got there."

"It was nothing."

The dogboy is baring his teeth now in a smile, trying not to let his ego inflate from simply being in the right place at the right time. _But honestly_ , he can't help it.

Realizing herself, Ayumi retracts her arm and backs away, immediately beginning to take off the heels.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry for bumping into you, sir, how rude of me to use you as a basically a wall. I wasn't paying attention at all and - "

"Ayumi, it's alright! This is my friend who was meeting us - Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Ayumi, and this is Eri." Pointing to them, Ayumi turns a soft red and gives a small bow before going back to return everything to their boxes, beckoning over a saleslady.

"Thanks for catching her."

"Yeah...Uh, well hi," is all he says as the remaining two are examining him up and down. He does the same.

This Eri girl is slightly taller than Kagome, but they both seem to be wearing a version of the same dress - one with a square neckline and thin straps, and one that is...short, but Inuyasha doesn't want to focus on that for too long. Kagome's is a green plaid, Eri's is fully black, and glancing at Ayumi, he realizes she's got one on too, a light purple. He doesn't know that much about human girls, especially _this_ era of girls, but one can only suspect that this means they're pretty close.

"Hey. Nice to meet you. I like your shirt by the way, my girlfriend has the same one. Did you get to see those guys when they came in June?"

Pointing at his _The Yokai Slayers_ shirt, Inuyasha is surprised.

"Oh, yeah I did. It was pretty wild."

He remembers it as the only time he ever felt like a regular man might have his shot at bodily harm without consequence. The fans in that crowd were pushing just as hard as he was.

"I bet. Kagome said you're from out of town? A fishing place? What's that like? I've been here my whole life so it's interesting to see how other people are living."

"Not a lot to do, but I swam a lot and it's nice being outside."

"Yeah, it is. How do you like Tokyo so far?"

Kagome excuses herself and goes to check that Ayumi is still doing okay as Eri does her usual deal of being the least uncomfortable person in the room. Trying not to peek too much at the two, she can't stop as she notices he's doing the same, darting a glance ever so slightly at her every few seconds.

Their body language is fine though, and now she has the task of reassuring Ayumi that nobody cares she almost fell, it wasn't embarrassing, that it happens all the time. Luckily, Eri suggests they go back out into the sun to a summer weekend flea market that ends next Saturday. Idly chit-chatting to one another, Inuyasha is trailing them slightly, feeling even more alien than usual as they giggle at stuff he doesn't get. The stalls are just a block away; Kagome sees someone selling hand painted animals.

"Oh look, that's so cute, I want to see if they have one that looks like Buyo! My mom would love that."

Ayumi takes her by the hand and they skip over to it.

"Who's Buyo?" Inuyasha asks.

"Her cat. Anything _you_ want to get?"

" _Food."_

Eri laughs and she follows him just past the girls to a shaved ice vendor. Kagome holds a cat statue in her hands when Ayumi taps her on the shoulder. "Hey, is Inuyasha always so shy?"

"Um, I don't really know. We've only talked about three times. I think he just doesn't know what to say, he only texted me this afternoon even though I gave him my number yesterday."

"A mysterious type, huh? He's kinda cool though, isn't he?'

Kagome recalls what he had said earlier on the phone.  
 _I don't have any friends here, but when you said that we were it felt nice. I was just wondering what you were up to because I was excited to go out._

"Yeah, he is."

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend? Or _boyfriend?_ He smelled really good too." Ayumi giggles and Kagome feels herself flush _again._

"Did you find anything you like?" Behind them, Inuyasha has lemon ice and two cherries in his hand. "Here, Eri said this was your favourite."

"Sory Kagome, I didn't know what yours was."

Eri is smug as he gives the lemon to Ayumi and one of the cherry's to Kagome, both of whom thank profusely and insist he didn't have to buy them anything. Kagome doesn't miss the look Eri gives her, nor does she miss the energy levels rising with Ayumi.

"Wow, you're so nice! I'm glad Kagome met you." He can feel his ears twitching under his hat, trying and failing not to smile while he eats the dessert in two to three bites. _Humans are so easy to appease._

"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you wanted food."

"Yeah, I'm still hungry but I know we're eating later. Maybe I'll go get an energy drink, there's a bodega just over there, right?"

"Yes! Here, I'll go with you so Kagome can keep looking for a figurine. Since you bought us something, I'll get it for you!"

"Uh sure, but that's ok, I can pay for it myself."

Bouncing away with him, Inuyasha glances back one more time at Kagome before getting caught up in Ayumi's gestures and questions

"Man, she's so easy, sometimes," Eri chuckles, shaking her head. "Just get one decent looking dude in her presence and she's all over it. It helps that he seems pretty kind. When I suggested getting ice for you guys too he insisted to buy them, he even paid for mine."

"I'm glad it's working out anyways, I was hoping we'd all get along."

"Same here. Let's just hope Katsuro behaves today."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come _on._ The guy gets so macho when he's drunk. He doesn't even care about Ayumi, or any girl, he'll just want to flirt with her because she's flirting with Inuyasha. I don't know why Hojo hangs out with him."  
In truth, Kagome didn't know either. He was kind of a posturing asshole, but Hojo was a good guy and she hoped he wouldn't excuse bad behaviour if it were to happen later on. "They've just been friends for a really long time...do you not like him?"

"No, I never have. But when he's around Hojo and Kenta he's not _horrible,_ but I can't forgive him after he tried to hit on Hotaru." They both cringe at the time the guy wouldn't stop getting close to Eri's partner at a house party last year, and that it took the host threatening to kick him out to cut it off.

"I'm sorry, he just hasn't hung out with us all summer and he wanted to invite him."

"Yeah, no, it's okay. Besides, maybe if Inuyasha has a bit of fire and tells him off, it'll cheer Ayumi up. I feel bad cause I kept going on and on the other day about what I wanted to do for our five year anniversary and how much I love my girlfriend, but she was so supportive and excited for me. She just deserves to see that not _all_ men are trash."

_A little bit of fire._

"Girls, Inuyasha has never been to a museum before! After we look around a bit more, I was thinking we could take him to the photography one because it's usually not as busy!"

And with Ayumi's eyes shining, there's the tiniest rip of envy coursing through Kagome. Hojo was content to sit around most of the time, he rarely took her out to go do anything outside of eating. At least, that's how it felt since he started studying. There's an emotion she can't place as she sucks on her plastic spoon, observing the way Inuyasha is paying attention to Ayumi as they walk back into the market.


	6. The Whole Gang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha meets the rest of Kagome's friends and the boys.

{Tokyo Photographic Art Museum}

"Inuyasha! Come be in my photo!"

This is starting to get a _little_ annoying _._ Every single time he thinks there might be a second to have a moment with Kagome, Ayumi is there. He'll walk into another section of the exhibit, turn around, and it seems like Eri is glued to Kagome while Ayumi is glued to his side.

He's still, admittedly, having a good time anyways, because the girls are, well, _fun._ Right now they are in _Japan Through the Ages,_ which is interesting for him especially. He had skipped so many centuries when they arrived here, it was cool to have a look at the city for at least the last one.

Sighing, he saunters over to Ayumi, who is standing in front of a giant print of Tokyo Tower waving at him. She's been taking tons of photos. It's honestly kinda sweet how into the museum she is, but he had hoped for a bit more progress today with building up Kagome's trust. He doesn't even know where she is. Maybe being a slave to her friends whims helps, at least?

"This is going to be such a cute shot! Can you take it, you're just so much taller than me." Giggling, she looks up at him, almost a foot over her head. He tells her sure and holds it up.

"Like this?"

"Uh, try to get more of the tower in the background - just tilt it a bit further - yeah, perfect!" Unsatisfied with the first six photos, on the final try she leans in and puts her hands on his arm. Not used to being touched very often, he tries not to react; she seems very happy, so he decides to match the demeanor as best he can so she'll be satisfied.

It works.

"Oh this one is great! You look so good in it."

"Let's see, then." Eri has appeared, standing with Kagome in tow, beckoning with her hand. Ayumi gives her her phone so the pair can examine it. It _is_ a pretty nice shot. "Yeah, this is mad cute."

Ayumi has turned a little pink, while Eri has had smirk on nearly the whole day.

"Do you want me to take one so you can get a wider angle? Or hey, do you want one with _your_ phone, Inuyasha?" Kagome is all smiles asking them while Ayumi claps, excited over another photo session.

Gulping, thinking that _god damn she's really looking like Kikyo_ at the moment, he's also trying to figure out how to phrase what he's about to say. He's glad he took Kaede's advice and got a new one before introducing himself at the orientation, but he still isn't used to this model and his old one didn't even have a camera.  
"I honestly never use my phone for pictures. I've never really felt the need for it."

" _Really?_ Not even for instagram or twitter?"

Shrugging, he answers, "I don't have either."

" _What?_ Why not?"

And it's not just Ayumi who's surprised, all three are inquisitive.

"Um, well, where I lived...I mean I didn't have too many people who would even want to look at it so I figured, what's the point?"

"But you lived near such a beautiful coast! You could've had tons of followers that liked nature if you tagged the posts correctly."

He doesn't even know what that means.  
"Guess I'm just a little old school….But, I think I would really like a photo of all of us, my first friends in Tokyo."

Ayumi emits a small aww, and Kagome beams. Then Eri speaks:

"Inuyasha, that's so adorable I want to vomit. Kagome if you want to take a few more of them, I'll go ask someone to come take a group one."

 _Kaede better be happy I'm being such a sap._ But truthfully, though he's embarrassed to admit it, he _does_ want a photo of them all. Cameras are such a weird invention to him but after going through all of the rooms in this place...he can see the appeal of remembering. Kagome is so gorgeous today with her hair straightened, he wants to have some kind of souvenir.

Posing again against the photo, Kagome takes a few shots of the couple and scrolls through them; _they really do look cute._

Not ever really having trouble with boys, she still was always slightly self conscious around her friends. All of them were so beautiful, but Ayumi was especially delicate, with her gentle voice and soft ringlets. And now she's gushing over how nice they look together.  
She can't seem to get Inuyasha's voice out of her head that _she_ looked perfect a few days ago right now. Wondering if Ayumi was _his_ type since it seemed she was into him.

"Thanks so much, sir. Hey, can I have your phone?"

Eri is with an elderly tourist, who accepts it from Inuyasha as he comes over, instructing them all to get together.

" _Kagome, can you stand beside me in the photo?"_ Inuyasha whispers to her softly, her skin prickling with goose bumps.

" _Sure."_

Grinning, Inuyasha gets back in position, Ayumi to his left, Kagome on his right. They all say cheese and then thank the man again. He inspects the photos immediately after the man departs, the girls peeking at them over his shoulder. When he gets to the second to last photo, Eri pipes up.

"This one! This is the one."

"It's so good! Do you love it, Inuyasha?"  
Everyone looks candid. Unfortunately, he's now a little too in his head about how he wishes that Kikyo was the one beside him and not Kagome - and yet, he really does.

" _It's great."_

Smile plastered to his face, he can barely pay attention to any more of the exhibit until it's time for them to go, something that does not go unnoticed by Kagome.

"Damn, we've been here a while. we should probably go get Yuka."

They shuffle out of the building, making their way through the busy streets to get to the subway. Finally, he gets to be beside Kagome as Ayumi and Eri have begun to passionately discuss an anime they've been watching as they pass a billboard with an ad for it.

"Did you enjoy the museum, Inuyasha?"

She's very charming in the red heart-shaped sunglasses she purchased from one of the market stalls. Smaller details about her appearance are things he's begun to take note of now. How she has her ears pierced, how she has a few freckles on her collarbone, and how one side of her lip slides a little bit further up than the other when she talks.

"It was neat. Did you?"

"Yeah, i've been there so many times," she chuckles. "But that special exhibit was really cool. Ayumi just loves photography...Oh, by the way, I hope you don't mind if she posts that photo of you guys. She probably will online."

"Uh, I guess I don't. Should I mind?"

"I mean if you don't have an account it probably doesn't matter but she has about 25 thousand followers."

" _What? How?"_

 _Followers?_ Did he really want that many people looking at him? But then again, why should he care? If they can't see his ears, Kaede wouldn't be that mad, right?

"Oh, she's an amazing singer. Her covers are so good. She has a YouTube channel too with something like 70 thousand subscribers." He at least knows what YouTube is this time, but he can't wrap his head around the idea. "Also, semi-unrelated but - I was trying to plan out my schedule for all my course workload, and the syllabus says for sociology that we have a paired assignment we're going to talk about in week 3. Would you want to do it with me?"

Hands in his pockets, he's once again floored at how easy she was making this all for him. "Of course. I didn't look at it though, what are we supposed to do?"

"We have to look at a product and discuss how it's advertised to different group populations. I know alcohol is a really easy one as well as beauty products, but I was thinking maybe we could do something more interesting."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"I'm going to have to ask our professor to do it because it's a place and not an item, but I always get these video ads when I'm watching YouTube for a specific nightclub. And depending on if the creator is male or female, and what their audience consists of, the ad emphasizes the possibility of sex for men, and just on fun for women. Whenever I watch Ayumi, for example, because a lot of girls watch her, I get an ad that says on Friday's women get in for free if they bring a friend to this bar. And then the flipside of that, i've seen one pushing on guys that they might 'get lucky' at the same place. It's so _gross._ "

Ads were never something he got from this era, either. It _is_ how he developed his obsession for Fire Coffee because once Kaede got a television to watch the news and history channels they had played so much. He decided to try one once someone he used to dishwash for brought them in. Still, it was weird seeing them everywhere constantly.

"Yeah, that is."

"You know, so many guys act like jerks to impress women or to make themselves look better than their so-called friends. The normal mentality is that if they don't get a lot of girls or a girlfriend that they're losers. It's so toxic. And women have to deal with them being idiots all the time. _Boys will be boys,_ give me a break. I think that if the culture didn't sway us like that, it would be different, who even _gets_ to decide what being cool means? And why isn't it okay for women to want to have sex too? And then you have all the other stuff too like that, like my mom almost didn't get her job because of a quota the hospital has on female doctors..."

Continuing on a small rant, he's genuinely taken aback by her. The whole day she'd been very mild but there is heat on her tongue and a blaze in her expression.

"...And it's unbelievable that men can just walk away unscathed from all of these awful actions because they have money or status...Ok, I think i'm finished now," she laughs. "Sorry, it all just makes me so mad."

"Don't apologize." These are all ideas he had never had to think of or worry about. In his era, the women he knew were all powerful and seen as such; Kaede and Kikyo a shining example. He never thought the struggle would've been so bad. "You're really smart, Kagome. I can be your partner, but I don't know how helpful i'll be on the assignment, I don't usually think about that stuff."

Blushing now, she can't think of anything to say besides a thank you as they reach the entrance to the station. When they get on the train, Ayumi sits beside Inuyasha and regains his attention. Barely listening to Eri babble on about something related to a party they had been to, she watches his body language the whole ride over.

{Shiba}

"Hotaru!"

Eri is zooming over to her girlfriend to give her a huge kiss. They're standing on the sidewalk outside the ice cream shop Yuka works at; Yuka waiting next to her.

"My last session had to cancel on me so I thought I'd surprise you here."

Yuka, Inuyasha sees, is another pretty girl who looks a bit more reserved than the others as she gives them a simple wave. On the other hand, Hotaru yells hello at them, has her hair dyed blue, a nose ring, and has on a shirt that says _Chaotic Terror,_ which is a band that he has seen before.

"Hey! How was work? Oh, Hotaru, Yuka, this is my friend from college, Inuyasha."

"Work was pretty busy since it's so nice out, but I'm just glad that I get to hang out with all of you now! Hi Inuyasha."

"Hi."  
For probably the fifth time today he feels like he's under scrutiny as they gaze at him, but already the silence is being filled.

"Hi! Nice to meet you - wait, no way, I have that exact same shirt," Hotaru says as they all get closer to each other. "I only know like two other people who have even _heard_ of The Yokai Slayers. Also, I only had two clients today, Kagome, but I had alot of fun with them, thanks for asking."

"That's literally the first thing I said to him when we met too! He was at the show too in June that we couldn't go to because of our vacation," Eri replies.  
Laughing to each other, Inuyasha can definitely tell already the pair have a great connection.

"How was the show? It was sold out so fast because they rarely tour, don't they? My friend couldn't get anything."

"Oh, they were good. This guy I know lets me into shows at the bar he works at for free so I've seen...uh, quite a few shows here and got some shirts." He almost said _a ton,_ because last year he was especially frustrated and needed the energy release, but he can't let any of them know how long he's actually been here for.

"For free? That's rad as hell, why?"

"Some asshole was threatening him with a knife in an alley over like 8,000 yen so I went over to stop the fight before he got hurt." All of the girls eyes bulge, Kagome can see Ayumi's practically sparkling at the way he's so nonchalant.

"Wow! You stopped him with your bare hands? Do you know karate or something?"

"That's amazing!"

" _You're so cool!"_

His ears were twitching again, his ego stroked so much today he thought he better start hanging around girls forever to keep up the hype.  
"I grew up practicing how to fight so it was pretty easy. I don't know if he had enough nerve to _actually_ cut the guy, but he was just waving it around at me after I called him out, and if you don't protect your weapon it gives your opponent a lot of time to disarm."

"But with a knife? How would you do that without injury?" Ayumi questions.

"Here, make a fist and swing it upward and then walk towards me." Doing what he asks, he demonstrates what he did that night; gently grabbing her wrist and shoulder, he twists her around and forces her to turn. "So, if you were holding a knife, I could squeeze your fingers so you drop it, which is what I did. And then you grab the knife - I broke it in half and threw it in the trash."

 _Broke it in half?_ Kagome can't believe that for someone who could barely get a sentence out initially, that he was capable of pulling that off, and yet he clearly had the technique and knew what he was talking about.

He lets Ayumi go, reveling in the attention glow that they all were giving him. Focusing on Kagome, he smiles a bit wider without realizing, and she feels her insides go a little fuzzy.

"That's fucking awesome. I think we'll get along fine," Hotaru confirms, "I want full details later, however; we need to go get some booze before the park. Kagome, did Hojo text you about what he wanted us to get? Yuka said Kenta was bringing some veggie skewers and I have some fish in my bag, do we need anything else? Should we grab some fruit?"

 _Hojo.  
_She had barely thought about him since the early afternoon, focusing on trying to help Eri get the two set up on a date and for everyone to get along. Maybe what she needed was a nice night with her man to shake this weird vibe she had around Inuyasha.

Pulling her phone out of her bag, she sees that he texted her not to worry about getting any meat because Katsuro was bringing burgers and steak from the deli he worked at. And a recent one saying they were on their way to meet up.  
"He just wants drinks, and they are coming now."

"Yeah, I just texted Kenta and he said they would aim to arrive for 6 pm because of how far he is. So, once we get to the park, we'll probably have half an hour," Yuka adds.  
They discuss whether or not to go to a liquor store or just find somewhere closer to their destination.

Inuyasha finds himself next to Hotaru retelling the same lies he's fabricated as she questions him while Yuka is catching up with the other three. They decide to go to a supermarket that's a 3 minute trek to their end goal because they can grab some strawberries and melon.

"Man, I can't imagine how weird this adjustment must be for you coming from such a small village. You seem like you've been pretty well, though. What's the best concert you've been to so far?"

"Probably The Yokai Slayers, honestly. That mosh pit was insane."

"I'm so jealous you got to go! You like moshing, huh? I'm not scared of it, but whenever I try I fall like, immediately. I can barely even focus on the music."

"I like the experience to be...visceral."

"With you being a fighter? I bet." He finds himself smiling again. Man, he probably hadn't smiled this much in the entire time he had been in Tokyo, and it's been one afternoon.

So far, Inuyasha likes Hotaru the best out of Kagome's friends. Therefore, he hopes that what he's about to say doesn't get him too judged.

"Say Hotaru, I didn't really say this to Kagome when she invited me out, but...I've never been drunk before."

"Oh yeah? Any particular reason why?"

A flashback runs through his head of walking through the towns in feudal Japan, seeing how much poverty there was, and seeing grown men make fools of themselves and getting sick on wine. Besides Kikyo absolutely hating the stuff too, he felt that any moment of weakness would be a mistake, giving any enemy a simple chance at him if his reflexes were tempered.

"My...someone I really cared about didn't like it at all. And I guess I just never really had a reason to be curious about it after that to give it a shot."

Hotaru wonders who he's talking about, but she doesn't want to probe. "I mean, you don't have to drink. If any of the guys give you a hard time of it i'll tell them to fuck off. I'm sure all of us will."

"Heh, I mean I am interested in trying it just to try. I've only had homemade mead and it was disgusting. But I literally don't know what I would like."

"I'd just stick with regular beer. Sapporo and Asahi are the most popular here, I'd just get a few tall cans of that. I don't think we wanna get too hammered anyways since we have to go home."

"Okay, thanks Hotaru."

"Of course."

They reach the store front and they all scatter slightly once they get inside. Kagome and Ayumi want to get lychee sake while Eri and Yuka go to produce, so Hotaru trails Inuyasha so they can shop together.

"Hey, did you bring your ID?"

"Uh…" Kaede and Inuyasha don't have one, all the jobs they worked were off the books and he completely forgot that you even needed them for anything.

"It's okay, I'll grab it for you. They rarely ID here but we look 'weird'," she laughs, emphasizing in air quotes. "Maybe you can just pay for the fruit, then?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool."  
Selecting what she wants and topping it with some for Inuyasha, he finds himself genuinely curious about her.

"So you and Eri, you've been together a while?"

" _Heh,_ yeah. Isn't she great?"

"She was really nice to me...uh, how did you guys meet?"  
Scratching the back of his neck, he's really not used to this . He hadn't had a _job_ job in a long time so Kaede was usually the only person he talked with and they didn't have to be casual. He could talk about himself with no problems, but Kaede's prompt of 'ASK QUESTIONS' was hammering his head.

"Yuka is my cousin. I used to live in Saitama and was visiting my aunt's, her mom, in the summer, and got invited out to meet everyone. I had such a huge crush on her but it was difficult to figure out cause I was still denying that I even liked girls. But we exchanged emails and talked SO MUCH for like an entire year; I told her eventually I thought I loved her and she ended up feeling the same. It's been nice ever since, I got lucky being able to get an apprenticeship here so we could be together after high school."

"That is lucky."

" _Yeah,"_ he smiles. "Do you have a girlfriend? A boyfriend?"

"No." It's a curt reply and he can see he's said it too harshly. Luckily, Hotaru isn't bothered so he changes the subject. "So an apprenticeship. What do you do?"

"Hair styling! It's so much fun. Your hair is so light, it's really nice. I was actually going to ask what toner and shampoo you use to keep it so white."

"Uh, I'm - I don't remember, my cousin buys it for me...it's a foreign brand. I can uh….find out."

"No rush, I just think it would be great to know, some of my clients want platinum and it's hard to get it like that."

"Y'all ready to go?" Eri and Yuka have returned with the fruit.

"Yes! We're trading with Inuyasha cause he forgot his ID, just in case."

"Gotcha."

Going to pay, Kagome and Ayumi are already waiting for them. Once they cash out, Inuyasha, for once in his life, feels _guilt.  
_"Kagome, I was going to buy yours for you because you invited me out. Here."

Holding her palms up she shakes her head and refuses the bill; "No, please, it's okay. My stepdad gave me money anyway."

"I insist."

"I feel bad accepting it, really. It's ok. Let's just go to the park, okay?"

"Yeah, you'll find a way to pay her back!" Ayumi gestures to him to keep moving so he accepts it, _for now,_ and they all make their way out.

They help themselves to a nice big open space in the middle of the field. Many families are packing up and they hope soon that they'll have a lot of space for themselves. In her backpack, Eri pulls out a check picnic blanket for herself and Hotaru - Yuka has the same one for her and Kenta, Kagome is waiting for Hojo, while Ayumi has a bright pink one.

"Inuyasha, do you want to sit with me? You don't have a blanket." Ayumi has invited him over as they settle the blankets into a circle. Instead he lays on the ground, folding his arms behind his head.

"Nah, I like the feel of grass." _Reminds me of home._

"Won't your pants get dirty?"

"Eh, I can wash them."

He's happy now that because he's more comfortable with everyone he can speak his mind more freely. He isn't used to having to entertain people for so long, so he closes his eyes a bit while the others talk about more things he hasn't a clue about. Contented to let the sun hit him a bit longer, and even more so because Kagome is directly next to him, he can hear Hotaru say after a while; "Oh god, of course _he's_ here."

Opening one eye he spots Hojo and two guys he doesn't know. Kenta must be the one that Yuka has stood up to go hug since she mentioned him earlier. The pair look pretty normal in just shorts and polo shirts, but this other dude...he's got black hair with shaved sides with a white tshirt on and navy track pants, a small gold chain around his neck.

"Hi girls! How was your day? Oh, hi as well Inuyasha! Nice to see you again."

Hojo seems to be perpetually grinning, as he waves to them all, barbecue in hand. Placing it in the centre of the blankets, he pulls out his red blanket so Kagome can sit with him.  
Inuyasa is finding it difficult not to be annoyed that this dude was so _pleasant._

"Hi Hojo."

"Party has arrived ladies," the unknown guy says, reaching them and plopping down next to Ayumi, who recoils slightly. "Oh, hey, who are you?"

He already doesn't like this guy but he's _trying_ to play nice. Sitting up and stretching, he replies, "Inuyasha. You?"

" _Inuyasha?_ Hey, Kenta, you're a writer, doesn't that mean _half dog_?" He chuckles but nobody else is joining in.

Kenta flushes a bit and merely shrugs, pulling a small cooler from his bag. "Hi, I'm Kenta, by the way."

"Yeah, that is what it means, you got a problem with my name?"

" _Relax,_ it's just weird. Why would your parents give you that one?"

"Why would _your_ parents not teach you it's rude to tell someone their name is weird?"

Inuyasha doesn't miss the small smirk that Hotaru has on now as the guy huffs in response.

" _Katsuro_ , you've been here for less than a minute and already are a dick - and to someone you've just met," Eri scolds, her tone completely even. "Let's be adults, I wanna crack open a cold one before it's not cold anymore."

"Inuyasha isn't from Tokyo, he just started school with me, so please be nice to him." Inuyasha notices that when Kagome speaks to him his eyes flicker slightly.

"Yeah, yeah. _My bad,"_ Katsuro says in an inflection that definitely means he doesn't think it is. "I got whisky if anyone wants some, but I'm not sharing my mixer."

"We should be fine, we all went to the store."

"I'm not a huge whisky fan. Maybe later, thanks though," Hojo replies, "are we hungry yet though? Should we start heating up?"

"I had ice cream like an hour ago with Hotaru and Eri," Yuka tells them.

Katsuro shakes his head. "I'm fucking starving so I say yes. Also, I've had this meat in here for over an hour so we probably don't want it to sit too long."

As soon as Katsuro pulls out some small steaks and burgers, Inuyasha feels his stomach rumble. "Agreed. I could probably eat all of that meat myself for how hungry I am."

"Well, if we have veggies and fish, you boys can start it, I don't want any red meat , personally," Kagome shares, crossing her legs now and taking off her shoes to join Hojo. "Oh thanks everyone for bringing all the food by the way, it's really nice of you."

"Anything for you, Kagome," Katsuro winks. And though Inuyasha feels his teeth grinding, Hojo doesn't even react. "You want some steak, Inuyasha?" He snorts a bit when he says his name, but honestly, if the man brought meat, he's going to try and be as zen as possible.

"Would love some."

"You a rare guy like me? Medium?" he asks, shoving the charcoal into the grill. "Not well done, I hope."

"The rarer the better."

"That's the only way a man eats his meat, heh. You like liquor too? You should really try some of mine, it's good. I went to the distillery and everything"

Inuyasha is wondering if this is what Kagome meant earlier when she said that some guys liked posturing in groups of people. Who cares how people want to eat them? The only reason he wants it rare is the dog in him.

"Maybe. I'm not a big drinker."

"What? Oh come on, let's have some fun tonight huh? Don't be a killjoy."

"We'll see…" Hojo and Kagome are discussing something and despite feeling like he should start talking to Yuka and Kenta, he tunes in to them.

"...don't want burgers, Kagome? I asked Katsuro to get some specifically for us."

"Um, well it's just that we had them earlier this week. I'm sorry."

"I know, I just thought they were your favourite."

"She's trying to watch what she eats."  
Darting their heads at him, he can tell he's embarrassed Kagome as Hojo asks her if it's true.

"I gained a few pounds over the summer, and we're drinking so I just wanted to be a bit healthier…"

"Oh, well that's ok. You could've just told me, you know," Hojo laughs, searching now for the sake.

"Yeah, that's what Inuyasha said…"

Blinking at him, Inuyasha gives her an apologetic face and she just smiles at him and nods. They don't seem to notice Katsuro eyeing them.

" _Inuyasha, catch!"_ Hotaru is throwing over a tall can from across the circle. He grabs it as it falls and cracks it, the foam spilling a bit over. "Silly, you're supposed to wait a minute."

"Yeah, I forgot." Drinking it in he finds the taste _alright,_ sticking out his tongue a bit.

"Is it gross? You never had it before right?" Eri asks.

 _Oh god, have they been talking about me?_ Since when was he ever this self-conscious?

"No, no, it's fine. I haven't drank in...like years."

"That's good for your health," Yuka says, and the others all mutter agreement.

"Heh, but it's no fun."  
Katsuro is tending to the meat now, half a bottle of pop being filled with a generous portion of his alcohol.

"Guys I'm actually allergic to this sake, I can't have lychee so i'm just gonna go grab something else. Be right back!"

"I'm sorry Hojo!"

"Don't worry, when have we ever eaten it together?"

"I can't believe I forgot he was allergic to that," Kagome muses as Hojo jogs off. Then she edges a bit closer to Inuyasha to whisper. " _Hey, you don't mind us drinking right? You don't have to drink if you're uncomfortable."_

" _It's fine, Kagome. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have."_

Clearing his throat, Katsuro tries to get Inuyasha to inspect his handiwork: "Now that's about as rare as it's gonna get without being raw, is that cool for you?"

It's a perfect pink. Salivating, he tells him it's perfect and when he's given it on a plate, devours it in about two minutes. Katsuro's eyes are bugging out slightly.

"That was really good, thanks. After everyone's had some can I have more? Oh and I can cover some of the cost for it." He's chewing the last bite, and ruffles through his pocket to yank out the yen he was trying to give Kagome , waving it in the air as Katsuro accepts it.

"Yeah, sure man."

"Hey if you're that hungry we can start on some of the veggies, I could eat," Kenta says, passing his bag to Katsuro.

"You can have the burger I was supposed to have," Kagome adds, "Hojo usually only has one and he loves fish as much as I do so he'll want some."

"Yeah and you can have fruit, don't wait for us it's totally fine."

"You guys are the best."  
And he honestly means it, stars in his eyes at the idea of food. Normally he would've had three meals by this time and he'd only had breakfast and the shaved ice. Shoving three slices of melon into his mouth, he chases it with the beer, trying to see if the next few sips will actually make him enjoy it.

Laughing, Ayumi chimes in, "You have quite an appetite, you must train a lot and be really fit to be able to eat so much."

"Men just eat more than women though."

"I don't know about that one, Katsuro, I can definitely eat as much as you on a good day. Inuyasha is a swimmer _and_ a fighter," Eri winks at him, and Inuyasha grins.

"A fighter, huh? Where do you train? And in what art?" Katsuro has adopted a calculating look directed at his new competition. Up till then, he'd been the only guy in the group that worked out.

"I just do it by myself, I learned it from my old sensei in my village. And not really too much technique besides self defence because I've been training my whole life in swordplay."

" _Swordplay?"_ How is it possible that Inuyasha was getting cooler by the second, Kagome finds herself thinking.

"Yeah."

"Wow!" If Ayumi got any brighter she'd be glowing.

"That's rad, I was actually going to ask you if you could show me sometime how to disarm like you did earlier. Maybe if you had something else you could teach too? Might be useful one day, I definitely get scared at night," Hotaru is asking.

"Oh me too! I'd love to learn that!" Ayumi says.

"Same here. Maybe after class one day we could all meet up and you could show us."  
Kagome is smiling, and he's trying not to grin too hard back and feels himself blush.

"Yeah, sure, whenever you want."

"Well hey! I can also show you how to build muscle, Kagome...Ayumi. I have guest passes at my gym, we could box or something…" _Who the hell is this guy?_ Katsuro is sulking, he was hoping that when Hojo mentioned Kagome's friend a few days ago that it would be a girl.

"Maybe, I do have a membership at my university though, I just haven't checked it out yet. I appreciate the offer though, Katsuro."

Hojo returns and the conversation becomes directed more to a collective group.  
"Shall we cheers to something, everyone?" Opening up his beer, Hojo turns and beams at Inuyasha; "How about you choose, Inuyasha?"

"Uh, let's cheers to friendship."

Raising all their cans and bottles, they shuffle around to clink with each other, giggling; " _To friendship!"_

A half hour passes as the sun lowers and food is eaten. All in little bouts of conversations, Inuyasha finds himself tangled up in Hojo's company. Repeating the same story as he had five times today, Hojo is expressing a ton of interest in how to use a sword, and is currently explaining swords from the era he's studying for his research.

The guy was kind of a sweetheart, he had to admit it. Of course Kagome wouldn't date a loser. He wonders if for all earlier instances today that deep down the jealousy and awkwardness he has been feeling is only because of Kikyo. It seemed so far he wasn't blowing this, so if it meant being friends with Hojo too to figure out what the next step was, he's just going to have to do it.

"Hey Inuyasha, Hojo, come do a shot with us."

Kenta has invited them over to his blanket with Katsuro, the girls all congregating around Ayumi to select a playlist to put on her speakers now that the park is pretty thinned out. Accepting the tiny plastic cup Kenta gives him, he tries incredibly hard not to make a face as he sips on his beer at the sour taste of the whisky. He's on his third tall can now, and despite all the food he's eaten, he's feeling a little buzzed.


End file.
